A Wedding Story
by HPRndRobin
Summary: COMPLETE - Slash - HPSS : All over Great Britain mysterious wedding invitations have been sent to staff and former students of Hogwarts, every person on the guest list has some connection to either Harry Potter or Severus Snape.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** A Wedding Story   
**Author:** Many wonderful writers from the HPRoundRobin@Livejournal, each chapter may be someone different from the one before   
**Rated: **R for upcoming situations   
**Summary:** stryfechild's challenge. All over Great Britain mysterious wedding invitations have been sent to staff and former students of Hogwarts, every person on the guest list has some connection to either Harry Potter or Severus Snape. The catch, no one knows who the wedding is for, not even the key participants.   
**Pairing:** SS/HP   
**Spoilers:** None that i know of   
**Disclaimer:** Not mine. No money made. These characters belong to JK Rowling   
**Feedback:** Always welcome 

**A Wedding Story**   
**_Chapter 1_**   
_By stryfechild_   


  
  


Severus Snape was taking a well-deserved rest now that school was over for the year, and there were no more students to harass and annoy him. He was free from their presence until next September, and joy of joys, no more Harry Potter, ever! Not even Albus would be so cruel as to force him to work with Potter on Order business, when it was perfectly obvious they would never get anything done besides argue and glare at each other. The last year had been pure torture, having been forced to work with the brat on missions for the Order. He had decided to take a walk around the lake; despite what the students believed, Severus enjoyed the sun light, he was often just too busy making potions to go out. While he was walking, a large barn owl dropped out of the sky and landed roughly on his shoulder. Grumbling, Severus moved closer to a tree so the owl could hop over to a branch. Once the owl had transferred itself to the tree it stuck out its leg and hooted at him to relieve it of its burden. Snape untied the parchment and grumped at the owl. "I don't have any treats, so sod off." The owl gave a grumpy hoot and launched itself off the tree, battering Snape with its wings in the process. Dreading what might be with contained in the letter, he slowly opened it only to gape, very unSnape-like, at the contents.   


_You are Cordially Invited to a Wedding.___

_Date: the Fifteenth of August 1999___

_Location: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry___

_Please arrive at twelve noon precisely, presents are unnecessary_

  


_What is this!_ It seemed very much like a prank to him and his dark eyes searched around for anyone who would be near enough to see his reaction, and he strained to hear any sound that didn't belong to nature. He was to be disappointed; there was no one within seeing or hearing distance. He examined the invitation, but he didn't recognize the handwriting. He whirled with a huff and headed toward the castle, grumbling all the way, until he stood before the gargoyle that guarded the entrance to the Headmaster's office. "Cockroach Clusters." Suppressing a shudder at the thought of those particular candies, the Potions Master made his way up the staircase. A cheerful 'come in' answered his knock and he stepped into the office. Albus was seated behind his desk, those damned eyes twinkling with all their might. 

"What can I do for you, dear boy?" 

"You can start by explaining the meaning of this." He held up the offending invitation, pinning the Headmaster with his worst glare, which only caused his eyes to twinkle all the more. 

"Ah, I see you received one as well." Albus held up an identical copy to the invitation Severus had in his hand. "I'm afraid I know no more then you do, Severus. I guess we shall just have to wait and see." With one last glare and a snarled 'fine,' Hogwarts' resident greasy git stormed out of the office. Albus could only smile and shake his head. "Yes, my dear boy, we shall see much sooner then you would like, I suspect."   


Harry Potter was lounging in the living room of his London flat, enjoying the feeling of doing nothing. For now, the Order was in a holding pattern, and he had just taken a week off from work and had decided to indulge in laziness for a change. Just then a large owl flew in his open window, landed on the back of his couch, and hooted loudly, demanding immediate attention. "Alright, alright, just a moment." He heaved himself into a sitting position and took the parchment from the owl. "Food and water are over there," he said gesturing towards the dishes he kept out for when Hedwig needed them. As the owl replenished itself, Harry opened the letter. "What the bloody hell is this?"   


_You are Cordially Invited to a Wedding.___

_Date: the Fifteenth of August 1999___

_Location: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry___

_Please arrive at twelve noon precisely, presents are unnecessary_

  


He pushed himself up from the couch and walked over to the fireplace. Grabbing a handful of powder, he threw it into the flames. "Albus Dumbledore." 

"Harry my boy, what can I do for you?" 

"Professor, do you know the meaning of this invitation?" 

"So, you received one as well. No, I'm afraid I don't." 

"As well? Who else has gotten one of these?" 

"As far as I know, only myself, Severus, and now you." 

"I see. Thank you for your time Professor." 

"Anytime Harry, anytime. And Harry? I haven't been your professor for over a year now." 

"Yes Pro-Albus." 

"Goodbye, Harry," and with a pop, the fireplace held only flames once more. 

Over much of Great Britain, nondescript barn owls were delivering similar invitations; and in a small room in the castle, a spelled quill ran down a list of names checking off each one as they received their invitation: 

_Albus Dumbledore - check_   
_Severus Snape - check_   
_Harry Potter - check_   
_Minerva McGonagall - check_   
_Rubeus Hagrid - check_   
_Ronald Weasley - check_   
_Hermione Granger - check_   
_Draco Malfoy - check_   
_Remus Lupin - check_

The list continued, encompassing the rest of the professors, and the rest of the Weasley family, among others. 

_~tbc~_   



	2. Chapter 2

**A Wedding Story**   
**** ****

**_Chapter Two: What's Dumbledee Up To, Anyway?_**   
**** ****

**By Fyres Destiny**

  


Severus Snape was _not_ in a good mood. Scowling, he made his way down to the dungeons, the mysterious wedding invitation still clutched in his right hand. Albus had all but said that he was required to go to this sham of a wedding- and he didn't even know who's it _was_. 

Snape was no fool. He knew that the meddling old headmaster had something up his sleeve - and, if he didn't know better, it probably had something to do with Harry bloody Potter. _Everything_ had to do with Potter, and thus, he was also to blame. 

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he ground out the password, stalking into his private chambers. Upon doing so, he made his way to the elegant stone fireplace that adorned one wall. 

Grabbing the metal tin that sat on top of its ledge, he took some emerald colored powder from within, throwing it quite roughly into the fire, calling out 'Vincent Snuckmoor' as he did so. Stepping back from the now green fire, Severus folded his arms, tapping his foot rather impatiently as he waited for the person he had summoned to appear. 

"Severus. What the bloody hell do you want?" a rather unkempt man, who could only be Vincent Snuckmoor, called, his head embedded in the flames. Despite his rather rude greeting, the black-haired wizard was smiling. 

Now, Severus wasn't a spy for nothing. When he himself could not find out what the Dark Lord was planning, his contacts were simply a firecall away. Vincent Snuckmoor had previously been one of these contacts, and was still a very proficient Auror. Well, you could say former Auror; halfway through Voldemort's reign, he had quit the force, becoming a well-informed vigilante. But that's an entirely different story. 

Snape smirked. "I want a lot of things, Snuckmoor, and you dead is just one of them." 

Vincent allowed himself a short laugh before once more giving Snape the full effect of his piercing gray eyed stare. "I'm pretty sure that's not the reason you've called me here." 

"You're right, it isn't. Why I called you here is because of this." Saying so, Severus opened up the envelope, putting it close enough to Snuckmoor's face so that he could read it. 

As he studied the invitation, Vincent's eyebrows furrowed, his expression morphing into a frown. "Sounds strange." 

Snape rolled his eyes. "That, dear Vincent, is quite obvious. Now, I feel that Dumbledore is involved in this. Probably some new idea about how I deserve to be happy," Snape continued, waving his hand vaguely in the air to emphasize his point. 

Snuckmoor raised an eyebrow. "You want me to find out who's getting married? Well, sorry to tell you, Snape, but if this is ol' Albus' doing, then there's no way in hell that I'm going to be able to figure out what the bloody hell is going on." 

"Yes, yes, I realize that. I just want the list of people who have been invited - for some reason, I feel that Dumbledore's not telling me the entire truth. Perhaps I can come to a conclusion from who's attending." 

Vincent fixed him with a skeptical look. "Sure, Snape, but somehow, I doubt that you'll be able to find anything out. It _is_ Albus Dumbledore, after all." He smiled mischievously. "That isn't to say that I don't love a challenge. I'll get back to you, Severus." With that, his face disappeared from the fireplace, and the green flames morphed back into a regular fire. 

Feeling slightly placated, Severus took a seat in his leather chair, summoning a bottle of scotch from his personal cabinets as he did so.   


On the other side of Britain, Harry Potter was doing much the same thing, however, he wasn't exactly alone. 

In fact, half the Weasley clan had shown up on his doorstep, which had resulted in a rather impromptu party. 

"Oi, Harry!" Fred Weasley said, before collapsing into a fit of drunken giggles. 

Harry looked blearily at the mischievous twin, blinking several times to focus. "Eh?" 

"You going to that wedding, right?" Fred slurred. 

Harry squinted his eyes, wondering why there were now four of them, when previously there had only been twins. "At Hog… Hoggy… Hogwoo…" he paused, frowning. "You know, that school?" he finished, smiling triumphantly. 

"Yeah…" Fred took another sip of his Magick Mead before stuffing his hand into the pocket of his robes, pulling out a quite crumpled invitation. 

Harry waved it away, nodding. "Dumbledee's making me go." 

Ron looked up from his place on the floor, gazing at Harry sagely. "Dumbledee's like that." 

Suddenly, Harry frowned. "Y'know… I still don't know who that wedding's for." 

George's eyes narrowed. "Seems a bit suspicious, if you ask me. After all, couldn't… You-Know… _Him_ have set this up?" 

Ginny rolled her eyes; out of the five, she was the least intoxicated. "Honestly, George, do you think Dumbledore would allow it to continue if he _really_ had no idea?" She leaned closer, as if about to reveal a secret. "I think that Dumbledore is behind this." 

Harry blinked. "Well… _obviously_. Dumbledore has something to do with everything." 

The five friends continued their fun late into the night, joking about anything and everything. What they _didn't_ notice, however, was the narrow, blood red eyes that were watching them, following their every move, and the snake that slithered in the shadows, its mouth wide open, fangs bared and ready to attack. 

_~tbc~_


	3. Chapter 3

**A Wedding Story**   
**_Chapter Three_**   
**by: ladybrandon**

  


Harry woke up with a splitting headache and cursed himself for drinking so much the prior night. Looking around, he noticed arms and legs sticking out of sheets and blankets, and laughed outwardly. It wasn't often he and his friends got blitzed, but… when they did, they really did it all the way. Forcing himself out of bed, he sluggishly made his way to the bathroom and forced open the medicine cabinet, looking for that blue potion, the one that made it all right to have fun because with one vial full of the blue stuff, all would be right again. Swallowing the contents, he tossed the vial in the sink, picked up another and walked back into his bedroom. 

Walking over to Ron, Harry knelt down beside the redhead's ear and smiled. "Rise and Shine, I don't want to hear you whine." Harry began giggling as Ron looked at his friend through half-open eyelids with a deadly glare, then turned back over and placed his pillow over his head. "Oh no you don't, get your arse up; we've got things to do." 

Ron turned over and looked incredulously at his obviously loony friend. "Like… what? Harry, it is nine o clock in the morning and it's Saturday! Are you sodding out of your mind, mate?" 

"Yeah, Ron... out of my mind… **Hermione**? Don't you remember? We told her we would meet her at ten?" 

From Ron's expression, Harry could tell he had not remembered. "Here, drink this… you look like shite." The quite disheveled bleary-eyed wizard thankfully downed the contents and immediately perked up. Harry smirked and rolled his eyes. "I never thought I'd say it, but Snape is good for something, after all." 

After both he and Ron had dressed, Harry left a note telling everyone where they had gone and to make themselves at home, which they already had from the looks of the place; it was a mess, but Harry loved it. Finally after seventeen years of having others bossing him around, both at his relatives and then at Hogwarts, he was finally in a place where no one could tell him what to do because he was finally in a home of his own. 

Walking outdoors, they quickly apparated to Diagon Alley and began making their way to The Leaky Cauldron, where they were to meet Hermione. Just as they entered, they heard the young witch yelling at them to join her. Looking at each other, they laughed; you could always count on Hermione to be early! 

As Harry sat down across from his two best friends, he frowned suddenly as he glanced at the table. There out in the open was a wedding invitation, the same one he had received. He picked it up and read it, hoping maybe it would reveal more information than his had, but of course, it didn't. "Hermione, who's wedding?" 

"I am as clueless as you are, Harry, but I'll tell you one thing… I'm going to be there." 

"And, pray tell, why?" 

Hermione raised her brow. "You're a bit scary, you know… you sound like Snape; I guess all that time with him has rubbed off on you after all! Why would I go to the wedding? It is romantic… no one seems to know who the two lucky people are… I wouldn't miss it for the world!" 

Harry scoffed and shook his head. "Well, they'll have to get married without me; I'm not going." 

"Oh, so you have other plans for that day, do you?" 

"As a matter of fact, Hermione, I do. It seems that my Aunt and Uncle are moving; I have a few things there I have hidden and need to get them. The day of the wedding just so happens to be the day they are leaving. After they leave I can use my wand and retrieve what I need to, without anyone knowing." 

Hermione furrowed her brow and shook her head; she did not like the sound of this. "You can't do that, Harry. You know what they'll do to you if they discover you there, remember last time? You almost did not make it out." 

"Don't worry, Hermione, I will be fine." 

At that moment a shadow fell over the table and the three occupants found themselves under the gaze of the greasy git himself, Professor Snape. "Oh, really? I find that quite hard to believe, Potter, seeing as how last time you were there, I had to pull your lifeless body out of that hell hole." 

Harry jerked his head up and groaned. "Spying on us were you? Well, Snape, no one asked you to do anything. I was perfectly capable of getting myself out of that situation. If you had not shown up, things would have worked out fine, and even if I had died… I would think that would have made you quite happy; the bane of your existence would be no more. But no… you had to play the hero; tell me, just why is that? You seem to want recognition so badly… why?" 

"I do not seek, nor do I want, recognition, Potter. I was not there of my own free will, believe me; it was Albus who made me go see how you were doing. Having seen what I did, however, I could not stand there and do nothing; contrary to popular belief, I do not wish my students dead, and you most certainly would have been such if I had not shown up. I am quite accustomed to your Gryffindorish stupidity, and knew you were in over your head, and obviously Albus did too." 

Harry stood up and got in his former professor's face. "I could have handled them, Snape. I am the Boy-who-lived, after all, aren't I?" Harry was inches away from the older wizard and he knew he was pushing his limits, he also knew he was being quite irrational about the situation, but that was beside the point; this confrontation had been put off for far too long as it was. 

"Outside, Potter… NOW!" Harry glared at his former professor but turned to his friends and mouthed that he would be back shortly and followed the billowing robes outdoors where they found a secluded spot where they could safely yell at one another. 

Snape was the first to yell after placing silencing charms around the perimeter "Are you really that stupid, Potter? Because you cannot honestly believe that I am unaware of what happened. Merlin, boy, they almost killed you. I guess I should have let them, but then I couldn't, could I? You are _the savior_ after all; we are all counting on you." 

Harry could hear the condescending remarks but was not looking at his hated professor; he was seething and looking at the ground. How dare the man mock the thing he hated the most about his life… how dare he throw it in his face. "Shut up Snape… just Shut Up!" 

"Fine, Potter, I will gladly shut up and not waste my breath on you; Merlin knows you're not worth it. But if you set one foot in your relative's house again, Potter, you're mine. I may hate you, but I will be damned if I am going to let you get yourself killed when so many innocent lives are depending on you for their survival. Oh and another thing you already know, I'm sure… your stupid worthless muggle relatives are not moving; they are setting a trap for you, or should I make it a bit clearer since you are so thick headed? The Dark Lord has set a trap for you Potter, how can you be so obtuse?" Without another word, the man began walking off, leaving behind a very mad Harry. 

After making himself calm down, he re-entered and joined his two friends, who seemed happy, which he most definitely was not. He had graduated, thinking finally his life would be his, but now he realized it would never be his. He was the sodding _savior_... everyone was counting on him to defeat the Dark Lord, that was his sole purpose in life it seemed. 

Harry was roused from his thoughts when he heard Hermione saying something to Ron. "...maybe we should do something romantic like that, Ron." Harry wanted to run and go back to bed. He felt like the world was closing in on him and all he wanted was a place he could call his own that was not for the-boy-who-lived, but for him, but he was beginning to realize there was no place for him; he only existed as Harry Potter. 

"Mione, Ron, I'm gonna go, I've got some things I need to do; I'll talk to you later." The others nodded sadly; Harry knew they were concerned about him. They had to know he was upset about what had happened with Snape, but of course, they had no idea why. 

As Harry walked down the street, he thought about what Snape had said, and knew it had been the truth. He would have died that day if his professor had not been there, but in some ways, he wished he had. Thinking back to that day, Harry could still hear everything as if it had just happened.   


_"Boy, we told you not to ever step foot in this house again."___

_"I have some things I need to get then I will leave, and believe me, you'll never see me again."___

_Harry had run up to his room with his invisibility cloak over his arm. He had meant to use it to enter the house, but Dudley had seen him earlier in the morning when he and Piers had been up to no good in the park, so Harry had to come up with a reason for being there. Once in his room, he quickly lifted the floorboard and removed the few objects that had been hidden there. Placing them under his invisibility cloak and wrapping them up so they would be protected, he left his room. Just as he was about to walk downstairs, his cousin blocked his way and began choking him. Harry was doing everything he could to escape, but could not. Suddenly, Dudley let go of him and threw him against the wall. Harry's invisibility cloak fell from his arms, fortunately no one could see it. Dudley then began hitting Harry and kicking him.___

_"You little freak; how dare you come back here after father told you not to."___

_Harry began losing consciousness; he could use magic to extricate himself from this situation, but each time he had done so in the past, it seemed he had paid dearly for it, so he decided against using it now that he needed to in order to save his life. The last thing he recalled was feeling a searing pain in his ribs.___

_When Harry had finally regained consciousness, he was in the hospital wing, Madame Pomfrey hovering over him like a mother hen. Soon after, Professor Dumbledore had come in and informed him of what exactly had transpired. Snape had saved him... again..._   


He was a weapon… the weapon… the only weapon. 

That is why everyone cared what happened to him; that is the only reason his hated Potions Professor had come for him that day, and the reason he would again be there when Harry went to his relatives house. Yes, it could be a trap, but Harry was tired of waiting and he had to get his invisibility cloak and the items within it. He only hoped it was still on the floor in the closet where he had managed to kick it while Dudley was hitting him. 

And… If Voldemort did show up, and if everyone wanted him to defeat the monster as they had said all along, then he would, or he would die trying. That was much more important than a stupid wedding, any day. 

_~tbc~_


	4. Chapter 4

**A Wedding Story******

**_Chapter 4_**__

_By Corgi_

  
  


Hidden deep within the castle that houses Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, there is a small room and in that room a quill works steadily. If one would look down on the parchment the quill is industrially working on, they would see a diagram of the school's Great Hall filled with round tables. Around the pictures of tables were names, many names. As each name was written at one of the tables the name on a corresponding parchment was checked off. The names were checked off at a steady pace.   


"Old friend, we're going to have some trouble with this wedding," a female voice said calmly into the silent and empty room.   


"Why is that?" The masculine voice that answered came from the direction of the quill.   


"Severus is determined to find out who's been invited. He already has one of his informants working on it. Once he sees the guest lists he may work out who's getting married and he's not the most cooperative of people."   


"That I know my dear. Perhaps we should interfere with the informant?"   


"I believe we should wait for the other's to join us."   


The quill which had stilled when the woman's voice broke the silence, returned to filling out the seating chart. The two voices continued talking about anything and everything except the wedding due to take place on August 15th. They talked about the weather, the ghosts of the school, the barmy old codger running the place now and how quiet the school's been since the Weasley twins left three years prior. Soon their patience was rewarded as another voice joined them. This one also was female, her bell like tones rang throughout the room, where as the first woman's voice was deep and smooth like silk.   


"Young Harry is going to cause us so much trouble," the second woman cried into the darkness, "he's refusing to come to the ceremony and plans on returning to his relatives to retrieve his personal belongings that he left behind the last time. He's going to get himself killed."   


"Didn't his friends do anything to dissuade him?" The male voice questioned the second female.   


"Yes they did try and deter him. They reminded him about the last time he returned and he just brushed it off. Even Severus stepped in. Of course the two started arguing and most of all I didn't like the look on the young man's face. It was like something broke inside him. I'm worried, my friends, that he may not wish to stay in this world."   


"I hate to add more bad news to our growing pile," another male voice joined the conversation. His voice a pleasing tenor compared to the baritone of the first. "Tom knows about the wedding. It seems he tried to kill our Harry and his guests the other night. Luckily I was there and took care of the weapon." Out of the darkness the huge form of a snake floated into the center of the room. "Do you think the house elves can make something nice out of this for our happy couple?"   


"I do believe they can," the first woman answered and the snake disappeared with what sounded like a finger's snapping.   


"Well then, I'll retrieve Harry's long lost belongings and bring them to his humble abode. Hopefully we'll keep him out of trouble. We can't let our true heir get too badly beat up now can we Godric?"   


"No, Salazar we can't. Now what are we to do with your result of your youngest son's indiscretions?"   


"There's nothing we can do about Tom. Harry's the only one that can dispose of the family bastard. We just have to make sure the young man has the tools he needs to do the job."   


"Too true, Salazar, too true. Hopefully this exercise of ours will bear fruit." Godric sighed from his position by the table and resumed filling in the seating plan.   


"How is your heir dealing with our little plot, Rowena?" Salazar asked as he watched while Godric's form came into view behind the desk.   


"Not well at all. He's upset because Albus insists he go and he's trying to figure out who's getting married. I suggest we make sure he doesn't know it's him until the last possible moment." Rowena's willowy form materialized out of the darkness.   


"Well your heir does not care for being manipulated by anyone. I would have to assume his association with Tom has made it so pronounced." Salazar responded with a thoughtful look on his face.   


"Neither does Harry," Helga Hufflepuff joined the fray, "you should have seen the mess he made of Albus' office at the end of his fifth year."   


"He was in quite a lot emotion pain at that time. Albus was lucky it was his baubles and not his head. Harry seems to have inherited both mine and Salazar's temper." Godric paused in his writing to look up at his old friend before adding, "He's got your daughter's stubborn streak too, Sal."   


"That he has, Ric that he does. Hopefully it'll prove useful for his task."   


"It is too bad this didn't work out they way we hoped." Rowena flashed a sad smile at Helga. "I wish your line survived Helga." Rowena's eyes widened with surprise as her plump friend smiled brilliantly.   


"It did, in the Potter line. Seven generations ago the eldest of my descendants gave his child to his wife's best friend for safe keeping during the incursion of Haridin the Dark. When my line was destroyed by Haridin the child was still with the woman. The child was a girl and when her guardian married the second son of David Potter, the child went with her and grew up with along side the offspring of the other Potter children. When he was older she and the oldest son of Eric Potter fell in love and married." Helga's warm smile lit up the room.   


"Well we know where Harry's phenomenal luck comes from now." Salazar commented with a laugh. "It's also odd how the Potters seem to collect strays. That's how our bloodlines ended up with the Potters."   


"Yes, it is. We do have to decide how to stall Severus' investigations, Albus' meddling and keep Harry from getting himself killed." Rowena said, as she called her friends attention back to the present. "It wouldn't do to have all our work ruined because they go off in directions we do not wish to have them go in."   


"Yes, you're quite right, Rowena. Sal, Severus is trying to find out about the wedding and has one of his informants gathering a list of those invited. He'll figure out what's going on if he gets that list. He'll bolt for sure then." Godric informed his oldest friend.   


"Well, if someone else is willing to retrieve Harry's invisibility cloak and the items hidden in it, then I'll go and sabotage Severus' information gathering."   


"I'll go gather Harry's things." Godric volunteered with an evil glint in his eyes. "I've been meaning to have a chat with those Muggles."   


"I will be more than willing to finish the wedding preparations. Perhaps, Helga, you'll deal with Albus? You've more experience that we do when it comes to handling the Headmasters." Rowena cocked her head to the side while waiting for the gentle witch to answer.   


"Of course I will. I've got the old meddler convinced that I'm the castle. It comes in handy when there's information that must be passed on. What are we going to do about Riddle?"   


"All we can do is stall him as long as we can when he arrives. We must get those two bonded before he attacks. It's imperative that we do so, or everything we've done will fall apart." Salazar's stern blue eyes lit with an inner fire that radiated power.   


"We best get started then. I will see you all later." Godric's form faded out as he began his mission.   


Salazar and Helga quickly followed Godric's example, leaving Rowena alone in the small chamber. Rowena took up the quill and looked at the seating arrangement Godric was working on earlier. With a sigh she retrieved another parchment from the desk and threw Godric's away.   


"Only a man would put the Weasleys and the Malfoys at the same table. It's supposed to be a wedding not a blood bath." Rowena growled into the empty room and began re-doing the chart. 

_~tbc~  
_

_Thank you to all our Reviewers! Keep it up, please!  
_


	5. Chapter 5

**A Wedding Story******

**_Chapter Five: Those Meddling Founders_**__

_By FyresDestiny_

  


Vernon Dursley was _not_ in a good mood. Then again, he was never particularly happy, and now that he didn't even have that stupid freak to vent at, his rage tended to stay bottled up within him. He allowed himself a little smile, however, realizing that the boy had mentioned he was going to come for his things. _Good, _Dursley thought, _I'll finally be able to direct my anger at the boy._

He stretched languidly on the sofa, ignoring the ominous creaking that came from beneath him. Whipping out the newspaper, he began to read, a somewhat content look upon his face. It disappeared, however, at the ringing of the doorbell. "Never can get a moment's peace around here," he growled. "Dudley! Get the door!"

Dudley, who had previously been feasting on a cake in the kitchen (unbeknownst to Petunia, of course) waddled out to the hall, a look of pure resentment on his face. He didn't miss _Harry_, per say, but he certainly missed having a built in servant around the house. However, now that he had flunked out of university, his parents didn't seem quite as fond of him as they had before.

Dudley made his way down the hall, preparing to give whoever was calling a piece of his mind; he wasn't one who liked to be disrupted in the middle of a snack. He banged open the door, opening his mouth in a snarl. "What do you…." he trailed off, all thoughts of raving at the person gone. Instead, he stepped away from the threshold, glancing up at the imposing stranger meekly.

The man gave Dudley a wicked smile that certainly didn't bode well. "Dudley, eh? Well, I'm quite happy that Harry doesn't share any of _your_ genes, you big oaf," he said, before pushing past the shocked man and stepping into the house.

His nose wrinkled in disgust as he surveyed his surroundings. "My God, could you lot _get_ any more freakish? This house doesn't have a speck of dust…_anywhere._"

At this, Dudley seemed to regain his senses; perhaps it was the fact that he had been termed a freak by…well, a freak. He mumbled a little 'Eeep!' before dashing past the man into the drawing room. "Father…freak…Harry!" he babbled, wringing his hands nervously.

Vernon Dursley sat up and, with surprising agility for a man his age (and size), he strode quickly towards the door. Anything that had to do with Harry couldn't be good. So enveloped in his thoughts was he, that he didn't even notice the formidable stranger until he had bumped right into him.

The man staggered backwards before righting himself. Straightening his robes, he looked up, or rather, down, at Dursley. "No wonder Harry didn't want to stay here. I'll have to give that Headmaster a piece of my mind when I can," he growled, glaring down at the purple-faced Muggle.

"Who- the- bloody hell- are _you?!_" Dursley ground out, accentuating each word with a deep breath. 

The man's imposing demeanor vanished as he grinned, sticking out a hand to Dursley, seemingly unperturbed by the Muggle's distinct lack of hospitality. "Godric Gryffindor, at your service," he said.

Dursley eyed Gryffindor warily, giving the extended hand a look of pure distaste. "I see. Now, that's very nice and all, but you are trespassing on my property. Get _out_," he said, surprisingly keeping his voice to a minimum level. It wouldn't do to have the neighbors hear, now would it?

Godric leaned against the wall, giving Vernon a bored look. "No, I don't think I will," he yawned, before pointing his wand straight at the bumbling git in front of him. "What I _will_ do, however, is ask you to go get Harry's things for me."

Vernon yelped, jumping back at the sight of the wooden stick. "I forbid you to-to use that _thing!_ My house, my house, I say!" At Godric's look, Vernon wavered, finally surrendering with a meek, "I don't know where the bloody boy left his things…"

"I overheard Harry saying his items were in his closet - you know, where he hid them before you nearly beat him to death? They're invisible, one has to feel around to find them." Godric leveled a stare at the shorter, albeit wider, man.

Vernon puffed out his chest. "Then _you _go get the damn things if you know so much about them! I will _not_ be ordered about in my own house!"

Gryffindor merely raised an eyebrow, before giving his wand a quick wave. A shower of red and gold sparks burst forth. Dursley's eyes widened, and he turned back, nearly tripping in haste to do as Gryffindor had commanded.

Godric stared after him with amusement clear on his face. "Oh, _honestly_, it was just a bit of fireworks," he called. Somehow, he didn't think that Dursley would care. Magic _was _magic, after all.

Within a few minutes, the large man had returned, this time his hands full of different items. He shoved them hastily into Godric's open arms, before turning to actually stare at Gryffindor in the face. "_Now_ will you leave, you freak?!" he said, gritting his teeth in anger.

Godric bowed, waving his hands with a flourish oddly reminiscent of Lockhart. "Certainly, Muggle." He stood back up, this time looking as he were pondering something. "However, I do recall something about you beating up my only heir during his stay here. Now, I can't exactly let you get away scot-free with that, now can I?" he grinned impishly, pointing his wand straight at Vernon's chest.

Dursley's eyes widened in fear, but he replied, "No-no, you can't _kill_ me, they do have laws for that sort of thing…P-Petunia told me…"

To Dursley's dismay, this only made the wizard all the more eager. "Oh, but you see, Dursley, they can't exactly punish me. I'm already quite dead." He waved his wand, before turning around and stepping gracefully out of the house. "Goodbye, Dursley," he called over his shoulder, a look of pure jubilation upon his face.

The only response he received as he closed the door was a very _very_ angry "Oink!"

Meanwhile…

Vincent sat at the Hogs Head, tapping his fingers impatiently upon the hard wood surface. Snape had said he'd be there by three, and now it was three thirty. Vincent frowned; Snape might not be many things, but he certainly _was_ punctual. Giving his watch another glance, he pushed his chair back, intent on standing up.

But before he could, a shadow fell over him, blocking his path. "Hello there," the shadow said, her voice sending pleasant chills down the former Auror's spine. He looked up to see a woman smiling down at him, her cerulean eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Er, hello," he replied hesitantly, curious as to why a woman such at that would have cause to speak with him.

She waved her hand, causing the chair across from him to pull itself out. Vincent's eyes widened in surprise; not many wizards or witches could perform wandless magic - she had to be powerful, indeed. The woman sat herself down gracefully in the chair, before giving him the full effect of her sapphire eyes. "I have a matter to discuss with you, Vincent."

His eyes, if possible, opened even wider. "You know my name?" he blurted out.

She raised a perfectly groomed eyebrow. "Certainly. I know many things about you," she whispered seductively, leaning over the table. She straightened back, folding her arms professionally and laying them on the table. "However, this is not the time nor place."

"Er, if I may be as bold as to inquire who _you_ are," Vincent questioned, now eying the witch with suspicion.

She smiled, the simple action lighting up her whole face. "Of course. I am Rowena," she responded. "Now, as I have just mentioned, I must discuss something with you."

For some reason, Vincent seemed quite at ease with the young witch in front of him, and leaned back in his chair, giving her an amicable glance. "Go on," he said.

"You see, this matter I must discuss…" she leaned closer, her lips forming into a pout. Vincent unconsciously shifted closer also, intent on hearing her words. She gestured with a finger, indicating that he should come even nearer. He leaned more across the table, until he was but a hairs width away from the witch. She turned his face to the side with a delicate finger, until her mouth was at his ear. "_Obliviate,_" she whispered, before roughly pushing Vincent back into the seat.

She brushed herself off, daintily rising from the uncomfortable wooden chair. Rowena smirked across the table at Vincent, who was now glancing about the bar dazedly, a look of pure confusion on his face. In his pocket, she saw a piece of paper. Bending over, Ravenclaw plucked it out of his robes. "I'll take that," she said, turning around and walking away.

;Rowena smirked as she walked out of the dark pub. Salazar had assigned himself the task of intercepting Vincent -however, she felt that it was a woman's job. After all, not even Salazar could seduce a straight man. Besides, he would most definitely have caused a scene with his threatening and hexes; her way was _much_ more covert - no unnecessary attention. She mentally congratulated herself on a job well done.

Snape pushed his way through the crowded pub, ignoring the annoyed looks the customers gave him. With a scowl set on his face, he made his way to the back, where Vincent had agreed to meet with him. The scowl melted away into a look of confusion when a pretty witch winked suggestively at him before making her way out the dingy doors that led into the Hogs Head.

Shaking his head, he stalked over to where Vincent sat, relieved that he had not yet left. "There you are. Now, what information have you unearthed?" he said curtly.

Vincent's eyes focused on Snape. "Severus? I say, what _are_ we doing here?"

Severus raised an eyebrow, studying Vincent's face to determine whether his friend was joking. His eyes widened in shock as he realized the symptoms of one who have just had a memory charm placed on them.

Snape groaned, and he lay his head on his hands, seeking comfort in the cool surface of the table. "Dumbledore… I know you're behind this, you old coot. But did you need to resort to Obliviating my source?!" he hissed.

Feeling a tap on his back, Severus raised his head. He looked over his shoulder to see Vincent staring back at him, concern lighting his eyes. "You know, Snape, talking to yourself isn't a good sign, even in the wizarding world."

The explosion that occurred next was talked about in the little town of Hogsmeade for many a day after that.

_~tbc~_

**Thanks to all our wonderful Reviewers! You guys are great!**   
  



	6. Chapter 6

**A Wedding Story  
_  
Chapter 6_**_  
  
by: Jaded Angel8_

  
Helga Hufflepuff was happily plotting the demise of the current Headmaster's plans. She waited until he went to bed that evening to put her plan into action. She was pleased with what she came up with, happy even. There were few who knew the devious nature of the Hufflepuff Founder, and they were long dead. Even the other three Founders, though they were on what seemed to be a different plane of existence, they were still all dead. But now, as the castle Herself, Helga got to put her deviousness to work. 

~@~

  
Albus Dumbledore was preparing for bed in a blissfully ignorant mood. If Helga has her way, he will remain ignorant, blissfully or otherwise. But back to the issue at hand.  
  
Albus was laying down for sleep, staring at the Hogwarts Crest above the fireplace opposite his bed. He was running the motto through his mind:  
  
_'Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus'_ Never Tickle a Sleeping Dragon.  
  
_Never_...  
  
His eyelids closed.

  
_Tickle_...  
  
His limbs grew heavy.

_Sleeping_...  
  
His breathing evened out.  
  
_Dragon_...  
  
His heart rate slowed. He fell into the realm of dreams, soon to plague him.   
  
_Albus stood before Hogwarts Castle, staring up into gleaming gold eyes that were once the windows of the Transfigurations classroom. The great oak doors that once led into the Entrance Hall were no more. Instead there was a great, gaping maw filled with razor sharp teeth, a veritable carpet of red tongue flicking out at him. The tongue curled around him, pulling him, taking him deep within the cavernous innards of the dragon he faced. He struggled to no avail. He was helpless, completely at the mercy of the castle he loved so much. He found himself running, climbing staircase after staircase, trying to escape. But everywhere he looked, everywhere he went reminded him of the dragon he occupied. The staircases moved, changed. Shifted. Two came together in a point, with him in the center, standing amidst chomping teeth in another mouth. Another dragon. It was, in his mind, like those Muggle nesting boxes. A dragon within a dragon within a dragon.   
  
Suddenly he was carrying a candle, wearing a nightcap and gown. He was running again, trying to elude the ever charging dragons. He tried to get to his office, to his peace. But found himself in the dungeons instead. Torches lined the walls, tongues of flame leaping out at him. The candle in his hand sputtered then rose higher than before, licking at his clothes, trying to eat him. More dragons. Always dragons. Trying to eat him. Trying to taste him. _  
  
Helga was having a grand old time weaving dreams and nightmares out of four little words. Now to get to the point. The meddling old fool was already afraid, now to pass the message.  
  
_Albus paused in one of the unused classrooms in the dungeons. There were people there, though none saw him. It was as if he were invisible. A wedding was taking place. He could not see the faces of the couple, but he knew that he himself was presiding over the ceremony. He saw his own blue eyes twinkling as he spoke words his watching self could not hear. But wait. One half of the couple was trying to move, to break away from the one they are bonding to. Marrying. He saw himself speak to the young person, sternly dictating them back into position. Saw the old man's smug smile as the young one obeyed. Saw him continue with the final ritual that would bound one to the other. Knew the old man had, in some way, arranged this final outcome. And knew that neither he nor the old man would like what happened next. He saw the couple bound, then combust. Burst into flame. Saw tatters of dress robes flitter to the floor at his feet. Felt himself falling. Falling..._   
  
Albus awoke on the floor beside his bed, covers twisted around him, restraining him. His heart was beating fast, thundering in his ears and through his veins. But as the rush slowed, the thundering receded, and he could hear. Hear the voice that he had always associated with the Castle. With Hogwarts.  
  
_'Never meddle in the affairs of Dragons, for thou art crunchy, and good to eat.'   
  
_He understood then. For now, he would let things go as they will. For now.  
  
_~tbc~ _

Thank you to all of you who reviewed!


	7. Chapter 7

**A Wedding Story  
Chapter 7  
by Stryfechild**

Severus Snape was fuming. Not only had his informant failed him, but he made a very public display of his displeasure. Sighing, he rubbed at his temples. He would need to brew some more headache potions before very long if things continued as they were. Honestly! An Auror being caught with a simple memory charm!

If Severus was honest with himself, he would have to admit that his anger had been simmering since his argument with the Potter brat. Vincent's failure had just brought it back to a boil. Because truthfully, the thought of the boy…no if he was going to be honest he never had a chance to be a boy…the man actually dying made his heart twinge! And that was a reaction Severus did not want to examine. Would it be so awful to admit maybe you don't despise him as much as you say? Yes! It would. Because I do! Bloody brilliant! Now I'm hearing voices. If this keeps up they'll be locking me up in St. Mungo's.

He stalked over to a cabinet and downed a vial of headache potion before flopping down on his couch. He had to figure this out soon for his own mental health, but for the time being he would content himself with plotting his revenge against the meddling old man who called himself his friend.

Minerva McGonagall threw her partner an odd look. He was fidgeting, visibly, and this intrigued her. Albus didn't fidget…at least not so that people could see him. "Is everything alright Albus?"

"Hmm? Oh yes my dear. Everything is fine." In all honesty, Albus couldn't stand this enforced stricture against him. The mysterious wedding had his curiosity peaked, and not being able to do anything about it was driving him up the walls. It was like an itch he couldn't scratch. And he started fidgeting again.

"That does it! Something is wrong. You…never…fidget."

He sighed, "It's just this wedding…"

"This again? Really Albus! The castle tells you, in a dream, you couldn't meddle?!" She shook her head in disbelief.

"You'll understand when the school comes under your care my dear." She merely looked at him with skepticism in her eyes. We had better figure this out soon, for the sake his mental health.

Harry rolled over and slowly blinked his eyes. The mystery of the wedding and the fight with Snape had left him rather drained and he had decided to take a nap in the hopes that this was all some very bad dream. He reached for his glasses and put them on. The first thing he saw was the wedding invitation sitting on the bedside table. No such luck. It was then that his brain registered what else it saw. There, sitting neatly on the chair next to the window, were the things he had left at the Dursleys', his invisibility cloak hung nicely across the back of the chair. Bloody hell! This can not be possible. He pinched himself and the pain that shot up his arm told him this wasn't a dream. Somehow his things had been brought back to him. His first thought was that somehow Ron or Hermione had gotten them. Harry swung out of bed and pulled on a pair of sweats. He walked into the living room and over to the fireplace. "Incendio." He grabbed some powder and threw it on the flames. "Ron Weasley."

"Hey mate, what's going on?"

"Ron did you or Hermione get my things from my relatives?"

Ron frowned. "No Harry, 'Mione and I have been here since we last saw you. Why do you ask?"

Harry returned Ron's answer with a frown of his own. "Because everything I left there is now here." He started chewing on his lip in thought.

Ron's eyes went wide. "Bloody he-"

"RONALD WEASLEY!" Harry saw Ron jump slightly and turn away from him. "Sorry Mum."

Harry couldn't help but chuckle at his friend's plight. Poor Ron. "You'd better go apologize properly mate." With that Harry closed the connection and walked back into the bed room. Sitting on the bed he stared at his things wondering who could possibly have gotten them, and gotten into his flat, without him knowing. The more he thought about it, the more he could feel the forming headache. He had to figure this out soon for the sake of his own mental health.

Rowena sat behind the desk in the small room and stared at the parchment in front of her. Men are utterly hopeless. Salazar's seating chart had been quickly discarded. If he had had his way, the Gryffindors and the Slytherins would be having a staring contest across the room while there were supposed to be a wedding and reception happening. She and Helga had decided that the men were no longer allowed near the preparations. Their tasks now rested solely with keeping track of the participants, trying to delay Riddle as much as possible, and of course doing anything she and Helga decided needed doing.

"How's it coming?"

She looked up when the voice broke her concentration. "Just fine. How's Harry taking the reappearance of his things? Honestly Godric have you no subtlety? I thought you wanted your heir in one piece for this wedding."

The Gryffindor smiled sheepishly. "I didn't think he would react quite as he did. But you don't need to worry about that. You have enough on your hands with the wedding to plan. Sal is covering Severus, I have Harry, Helga is dealing with the old fool, and thankfully Tom has been quiet since the attempt on Harry's life. Speaking of which, I had best get back to Harry watching." 

With those last words he faded out. Rowena sighed and rested her head in her hands; this was not how things were supposed to go. Rubbing the back of her neck, she realized she had the perfect advertisement for death…it saved you from the migraines.

  



	8. Chapter 8

**A Wedding Story  
Chapter 8  
By Corgi**

The mystery surrounding his belongings sudden reappearance was driving Harry nuts. He spoke via floo to Fred and George, the Headmaster, Tonks and just about anyone else he could think of. The only person he didn't ask was Snape. By process of elimination the impossible had to be the only possible explanation. Snape must have bullied his way into the Dursley's to retrieve his belongings. Why he would have done so was beyond Harry's comprehension, but he supposed he should send the man a thank you note. Harry truly wished that Snape cared even a little for Harry, not the Boy-Who-Lived, but Harry just plain Harry. 

A small sigh escaped his lips as he made his way to the small table he wrote his correspondence at. Who was he fooling? Snape only cared the means of acquiring his freedom remained intact long enough to do so. Harry quickly penned his thank you and gave it to his beloved Hedwig to deliver. Hedwig looked at him in surprise when he told her who the letter was for, but didn't question his request and quickly too off. Harry sat there brooding as he looked out the window. He pondered his future or lack of one for the rest of the day. 

Far way in the hills and mountains of Scotland one Severus Snape plotted his revenge against the white bearded meddler in the center tower of the castle he called home. He knew Albus had to be behind this whole thing. First that mystery wedding, which no one knew who was being wed, and then his informant being obliviated moments before his arrival. It made him angrier that he was late for that meeting because Minerva intercepted him before he left, most likely on Albus' orders, about his syllabus for next year and for the first staff meeting of the new term. By the time he brushed Minerva off and made it to the Hog's Head he was already a half hour late. 

Finding Vincent obliviated in the tavern and the less than tactful comment the idiot uttered made him lose his legendary cool. He hated the embarrassment it caused him. It made it that much clearer to Severus that this whole thing was Albus' doing, he just knew it. His gut feeling was only confirmed when Albus started to avoid him. His plotting was interrupted when a blur of white came down the owl flue. The blur resolved itself into Potter's owl and the snowy owls had a note for him. Potter writing to him made this whole week seem more unreal than it already was. The snowy owl sat on his shoulder waiting patiently for him to take the note. 

"Well bird, did Potter send me a note declaring his undying love for me?" Severus asked the owl sarcastically, wincing internally as the bird gave his a shocked look. "I know, I know, I'm going insane. Not only am I talking to you, I'm also admitting to like the brat that owns you. It's not like he'd ever look twice at me." The snowy owl gave him a look that said 'I wouldn't bet on that.' "Let's see what the brat has to say." 

_Dear Professor Snape,_

Thank you for retrieving my belongings from the Dursley residence. I don't know how you managed to find them while they were wrapped in the cloak, but I do appreciate the effort you went through to find them. 

Thanks,  
Harry Potter

Surprise rippled through Severus for several moments before fear took its place. He didn't get the boy's things. He didn't even think of cutting the boy's plans short by doing it himself. Anyone of the boy's belongings could be hexed, poisoned or turned into a port-key. Severus quickly grabbed his cloak and made his way to the edge of the castles wards and apparated to Potter's residence with the boy's owls clinging tightly to his shoulder. 

Harry leapt into the air in surprise while drawing his wand as he turned in the direction of the crack that sounded out side his flat. When he glanced out the window all he saw was the trailing edge of a black cloak and thought the worst. Harry edged his way towards his kitchen so he had cover when the Death Eaters broke into his flat, but still had a clear shot at the intruders. He strategy forming plans dissolved when someone pounded on his door instead of bashing it down. 

"Potter, open the door and let me in!" The immediately recognizable voice growled. 

"I'm coming, Professor." Harry walked to the door and check through the peep hole to confirm it was the Professor Snape, who had Hedwig perched on his shoulder. He quickly opened the door to allow the man bearing his owl in. 

"Next time confirm it's who you think it is before open the door. I could have been someone using Polyjuice." 

"I did. When I saw Hedwig on your shoulder I knew it wasn't anyone else. Polyjuice doesn't fool the owls." 

"Oh, you can think. That's a relief. Now did you handle any of your returned belongings?" 

"No I didn't I left there were I found them. Why?" Harry looked at Snape in confusion. 

"I didn't retrieve them. Did you ask any of your friends?" Worry was clearly seen in Snape's eyes and Harry was surprised to see it. 

"Yes, I've asked everyone I could think of and they all deny going to my relative's house." 

"I want to scan the items before you touch them. Since you don't know who placed them here. Did you ask Albus if he got them?" 

"Albus denies it, Professor. He and everyone else I know are obsessing over that wedding invitation. I do have to say the Headmaster is acting odd and Minerva is being driven up the wall by him. She said the castle told him he can't meddle in anything that has to do with the wedding. I think the man's finally and completely lost his mind." Harry led the older wizard to his room where the missing items were placed on his chair and dresser. 

"He may have and now I'm completely at a loss behind everything that's happened to me the past two days. I was sure Albus was behind the wedding and the tampering with my informant. Now I'm beginning to think the Dark Lord is behind it all." 

"Planning a wedding to trap everyone? That doesn't sound like Voldemort at all. Usually he has to do a lot of gloating surrounding an elaborate plan to get his hands on me." 

"True, but we can't over look the fact that one of the Death Eaters came up with this plan." 

Harry watched as Severus check over his things with a fine tooth comb. The tall man was muttering under his breath and Harry decided to give the man some space before he could snap at Harry. Harry sat down at his writing table and looked out the window waiting for Severus to finish examining his stuff. After forty minutes Severus came out of his room and walked over to Harry's table. 

"Did you find anything wrong with them, sir?" Harry asked anxiously and watching the Potions Master closely. 

"I didn't find anything wrong with your belongings. Are you sure you contacted everyone you know?" 

"Yes I'm sure. I talked to everyone in the order, all the Weasleys and the teachers. None of them are taking credit for the retrieval." 

"Are they all obsessing over the wedding invitation?" 

"Yes, everyone of my friends, the order members, staff members and dorm mates received invitations to the wedding and no one knows who it' for." 

"Are you absolutely sure that Minerva said the castle forbade Albus from interfering with this wedding?" 

"I'm positively sure. Minerva said he's acting like he's got an itch he's not allowed to scratch." 

"That's interesting I wonder who's throwing this fiasco if it isn't Albus." 

Both men turned their attention inwards as they thought in silence, each looking out the window, but not seeing anything. Neither man noticed Hedwig as she sidled up to Severus. Harry had started writing the names of everyone he knew hoping to come across someone who may have planned the wedding or returned his belongings. He didn't pay any attention to Hedwig's talons clicking on the wood; he was used to her walking on the table while he wrote. 

Hedwig took advantage of Severus' and Harry's preoccupation and picked up Severus' hand in her beak from where it was lightly resting. Before he could pull his hand away from her grip, she quickly pulled the older wizard's hand across the table and dropped on top of her master's. She watched in satisfaction as the two jumped in surprise at the sudden contact. Hedwig fluffed her feathers as she observed the two get caught up in each other's eyes. The snowy owl leapt off the table and flew to her perch, kicking up dust and bits of paper as her wings stirred the air. The little bits of debris settled on the ground around Severus' feet. 

Severus was startled when the bird's beak closed around his finger and began pulling. The beast didn't give him a moment to pull his hand away; she yanked his hand across the table and dropped it so it landed on Harry's hand. The contact sent a shock through him and he wasn't able to pull his hand way. He looked up and was caught in the other man's vivid green eyes. In those eyes several emotions swirled, but Severus couldn't identify them. The stood like that for several moments before Harry blushed and looked away, but he didn't remove his hand. Harry looked at the table, still blushing and visibly fighting with himself, before he looked back up at Severus. This time Severus could clearly identify the emotions in the younger wizard's eyes, want, need, affection and fear of rejection. Severus noticed Harry looking away again and the hand beneath his started to pull away. In an instant Severus realized this was something that would make all those years spying worth it. He curled his fingers around that retreating hand and held it in place. Harry looked up in surprise and Severus allowed his mask to slip enough for the other man to see what he was feeling. Harry smiled for a brief moment before looking down at the floor, all the while his face was still a bright red. 

A gasp of surprise dragged Severus from his thoughts and examination of Harry. He followed Harry's light of sight until he saw what caused Harry's gasp. On the floor mere inches from his feet was a piece of snake skin. It had to be from a large snake and Severus knelt on the ground to examine it more closely. Something cold and metallic was press into his hand and when he looked at it he saw that Harry gave him a pair of tweezers to pick the skin up with. The pest developed a sense of caution after all. He picked up the skin with the tweezers and placed it on the table. He couldn't identify the species and he noticed that Harry couldn't either. 

"Have you heard any snakes recently?" 

"No I haven't. Since I've moved in here the snakes from the park make it a habit to come and talk to me. I haven't had one in a week or so." 

Severus pulled out his wand and said the incantation that would show an image of the living creature the skin came from. A ghostly image formed around the piece of skin and slowly gained the appearance of solid flesh. The snake looked familiar to Severus though he couldn't place where or when he's seen this type of creature. He looked over at Harry and was shocked to see how pale his face became. Harry must have felt his gaze because he turned to look at Severus. 

"That's Nagini," Harry whispered. 

"Are you sure?" 

"Yes, I am. Positively." 

"Then the Dark Lord knows where you live. Pack your things. I'm taking you back to Hogwarts." Severus turned to help Harry pack as the young man stumbled to his bedroom. 

Two hours later with Harry's belongings shrunk in their pockets they apparated to Hogwarts. As they walked up the drive Severus thought back to those moments before they discovered Nagini's skin in the living room. Severus knew what he saw in the younger man's eyes and decided it would have to be up to him to make the next move. His opportunity arrived when the reached a bend in the drive that brought them close to the forest but was out of view of the castle. He gently steered Harry into the trees, deep enough to block them from being seen from the drive. He backed the shorter man against one of the tree trunks and looked once again into the other's eyes lowering his own barriers so his own feelings were seen. He shuddered at the vulnerable feeling it gave him and when he saw again the emotions in Harry's eyes from earlier he leaned forward and pressed his lips against Harry's. 

Harry froze for a moment before responding with enthusiasm. Severus ran his tongue over the younger man's lips briefly then nibbled lightly earning a gasp of appreciation, which he took advantage of by slipping his tongue in gently. Slowly he explored Harry's mouth and then coaxed Harry's into his mouth. Harry's actions were hesitant at first, but became surer as each man deepened the kiss in turn. Severus felt weak in the knees and shivers ran down his spine as they continued kissing. He felt Harry's hands tremble on his shoulder. Much too soon for his liking the kiss was broken and they both stood there panting for air. 

"The room next to mine in the dungeons is unoccupied. No one would think to look for you there." Severus whispered to Harry as they leaned against each other recovering from their exertions. 

"You're right. No one would expect to see me in the dungeons, especially next door to you." Harry smiled shyly at Severus and let the older man lead him to the school. 

Neither man saw the two translucent figures who were staring at them with their mouths open, shock plainly written across their faces. They both jumped when inhuman laughter rang through the trees. The two ghostly men looked about wildly until they looked up into the branches of the tree above them. A snowy owl was looking directly at them and was the source of the odd sounding laughter. The ghosts of Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin looked at the owl in confusion then looked at the receding backs of the two men they were following. 

"I wonder what happened to cause that." Godric asked, wondering what the two of them missed while checking in on the other participants in their wedding plans. 

"I don't know. I wonder what Harry's owl thinks is so funny?" Salazar replied looking at the owl that was still doing a credible imitation of laughing. 

The owl fluffed its feathers, looked smugly at the two ghostly wizards and then took to the air, leaving two founders staring at her in disbelief. 

"Don't tell me that bird isn't taking credit for this latest development?" Salazar asked in a stunned voice. 

"It looks like she was, old friend. Rowena's more familiar with birds than I am so we'll have to ask her." Godric replied, just as confused as his friend was. "Let's get back to the school and find out why Harry's here and then we'll talk to Rowena." Salazar nodded in agreement and the two faded from view. 

Salazar and Godric reappeared in the school entrance hall just in time to hear Harry and Severus explain about Harry's mysteriously recovered belongings, Severus' obliviated informant and the finding of Nagini's skin in Harry's flat. Salazar and Godric stayed long enough to hear that Harry would be living in the dungeons for his own safety and made a beeline to the secret room where Rowena was working on the wedding arrangements with Helga. 

The two men reappeared before their two female counterparts still wearing the stunned faces they had in the forest. They still couldn't believe how things have changed between their victims. 

"What happened? You two look like someone hit you in the back of your heads with a plank." Rowena looked at the two men with a trace of concern. 

"We left Severus and Harry alone for a bit to check up on the rest of our participants. When we caught up with the two, Severus had Harry pinned to a tree and they were kissing. Yesterday they were ready to tear each other apart." Salazar informed the two women, still looking quite bewildered himself. 

"Well, we might not have to spell them into not killing each other for the ceremony then. We'll just have to lock the doors and bind their feet to the floor." Helga replied as she watched the two shocked men. 

"The other odd thing was Harry's owl. The blasted feather duster was laughing at us. When we were wondering what occurred between the two she fluffed her feathers, gave us a smug look and flew off." Godric looked at Rowena for an explanation and saw the woman sitting with her head in her hands. He couldn't tell if she was laughing or crying. "Is anything the matter, Rowena?" 

"Centuries of planning and weeks of worrying for nothing." Rowena cried as she lifted her head. Tears of laughter streaked her translucent cheeks. "We've been upstaged by a bloody owl!"   



	9. Chapter 9

**A Wedding Story  
Chapter 9  
by Magdelena**

"WHERE IS THE BOY?" The serpentine voice bellowed.

Lucius Malfoy groaned wearily from his position on the dusty floor. Lucius' body still shook from the aftereffects of the cruciatus curse, and damn if he wasn't tired of getting his finely tailored clothes filthy from all the groveling. He was truly getting too old for all of this madness.

He could still remember the glory days from before the Boy-Who-Lived managed to…well…live. Then the screams of terror, the blood, the gore…were never his. Now though, that the Dark Lord had returned, it seemed he had completely forgone his earlier goals of world domination, ridding the world of Mudbloods…you know, the enjoyable stuff…and had focused solely on his personal obsession with Harry bloody Potter.

Lucius forced himself to refrain from rolling his eyes. Honestly, basing all of this effort on killing the brat because Sybil Trelawney, that daft cow, had made a prophecy about Potter being able to best the darkest lord in a century.

Lucius' thoughts were interrupted as Voldemort beckoned for him at last to rise to his feet. To say that the Dark Lord was upset at the fact that he had, yet again, missed out on nabbing Potter would be an understatement. "I am waiting for your answer, Lucius." 

Lucius finally choked out his reply to Voldemort's earlier question. "My most profuse apologies, Master. When we arrived at his residence, all of Potter's things were gone. Somehow, he became aware that we have been watching him, and managed to get away." 

Voldemort managed to reign in his temper enough not to 'Avada' another useless servant. At the very least, long enough so he could get the rest of his questions answered. "That much is obvious, Lucius. Did you find any evidence of Nagini?" 

"Several revealing spells detected traces of snake skin, milord, but she was nowhere to be found." 

"And what of this mysterious wedding? It seems that from what I was able to see through her eyes that every member of Dumbledore's precious 'Order' have been invited, as well as all of Potter's friends. Were you able to discern who is getting married?" 

Lucius allowed himself a small smile of triumph beneath his mask. "That milord is still a mystery, however I do have some good news…" Lucius pulled the crumpled invitation from an inner pocket of his cloak. "…my wife, son and I have been cordially invited to attend the festivities." 

Lucius cringed in distaste at the sight of the evil grin that split the horrid face of his lord and master. Voldemort was so gleeful at Lucius' news that he didn't even notice Lucius hastily avert his eyes. The Dark Lord chuckled maniacally. "And it shall be the perfect opportunity to dispose of Harry Potter once and for all. He cost me thirteen long years of wasted time when I could have been ruling the world, and now he cost me my familiar. On August fifteenth, Harry Potter will die." 

Severus went straight for his liquor cabinet the moment he swept into his rooms. He had left Albus and Harry talking in the rooms next to his own-the rooms that Harry would now be occupying for an unknown length of time thanks to his suggestion. He had tarried as long as he dared with the two. He had no desire to let the aged wizard in on the very recent changes that had occurred in his relationship with Harry…at least not yet. Harry had seemed to understand Severus' reluctance, and had nodded his head conspiratorially to his former professor before Severus had bid them both goodbye.

His hands trembled as he served himself a generous portion of firewhiskey. His usually steely façade had been shattered with just a taste of the boy. It had been a very long time since he shared a kiss with that kind of intensity, and he had never, ever expected to see the emotions he had concealed for so long from Harry reflected back in his former student's eyes. Severus had given up on finding someone to share his life with long ago, but to think that the object of his affections could possibly feel the same…it was, in a word…earthshattering.

Severus sat in his favorite chair in front of the fireplace, and with a murmured incantation, the hearth was filled with a cheery blue flame that almost immediately rid the dungeon rooms of their dampness. After the first sip of fiery liquid had seared its way down Severus' throat, he could feel himself calming. He imagined that Albus would probably stay to talk with Harry for a while, and Severus was pondering how long he should wait before visiting Harry's rooms. 

Severus was not about to let this precious find slip through his fingers, and although he desperately did not want Albus' interference, Severus was already rethinking his hasty retreat from Harry's quarters. What if the young man hadn't realized that Severus was trying to maintain their privacy until they had a chance to explore their feelings? What if Harry had misinterpreted Severus leaving to be a sign that he had rethought his position? 

The calming effect of the firewhiskey wore off quickly as Severus began to replay the entire afternoon in his mind. It didn't take Severus long to come to the decision to visit Harry as soon as Albus had stopped by to see him. Severus was no fool. Albus Dumbledore was extremely predictable. The old codger would likely drop in after his visit with Harry spouting his usual fatherly advice and requesting that Severus be nicer to Harry during his stay. Severus snorted out loud. Little did the old man know…

So Severus was none too surprised when just as he stood to retrieve a second glass of whiskey, there was a knock at his door, however he hadn't expected Albus to come along so quickly. Severus rolled his eyes and let out an aggrieved sigh. Frustrating as this visit would be, he supposed it was better to get it out of the way quickly. Severus' aggravation at the visit showed on his features. But when he tore open the door and saw who actually stood outside, his harsh scowl dissolved immediately. "Potter?"

Harry rocked back on his heels, hands shoved into the pockets of his faded jeans and smiled shyly. "Good to know that scowl wasn't meant for me for once."

Severus stepped back and ushered the younger wizard into his chambers. Still shocked that it had been Harry at his door and not the Headmaster, it took him a few moments to stammer out a reply. "I thought that Albus…never mind. Why are you here?"

Harry gingerly sat down on the edge of Severus' couch and motioned for his former professor to join him. After Severus had seated himself, Harry began to answer tentatively. "I thought that perhaps after what happened earlier you might not mind my stopping by uninvited. If I was wrong…"

"No…I mean yes…bloody hell." Severus hissed out a breath and pinched the bridge of his nose. When he opened his eyes, he was stricken by how his apparent indecisiveness had unnerved the young man before him. How could someone so perfect be so sodding insecure? 

A genuine smile crept over his face, and he reached out to gently brush the backs of his fingertips over Harry's cheek. "Forgive me for being unclear. It is perfectly fine that you are here. The reason for my rather bizarre mood is that I was actually quite worried that you might be a bit put off with me for being so abrupt with you in front of Albus. I have grown so weary of Albus' manipulations that I prefer to keep what has happened between us to ourselves for now…if you agree, of course."

Harry chuckled. "We have something in common, sir. I'm quite a bit tired of Albus' meddling myself."

Severus smirked and relaxed back into the cushions of the sofa. "I believe that considering the circumstances we can dispense with the formalities…Harry."

"I would like that…Severus." Harry paused and gently reached out to link his fingers with Severus. Severus gratefully squeezed Harry's fingertips, earning him a beaming smile from the younger wizard. Harry sighed contentedly and gazed up at Severus through his lashes. "What…exactly…is happening between us?"

Severus' heart leapt at the feelings of warmth, affection, and intimacy that the simple touch of Harry's hand had so easily evoked within him. He sincerely hoped that he wasn't mistaking Harry's intentions, and wanted to make sure that through his body language and his words he made his own intentions perfectly clear. He leaned forward, closing the space between the two of them to a more intimate distance, his voice a seductive whisper when he answered Harry's question with a question of his own. "What…exactly…do you want to be happening?"

Harry seemed to radiate anxiety and he averted his eyes when he murmured his reply. "Anything you'll let me have."

"Anything that I'll…" Severus hesitantly started before Harry interrupted.

"Severus, I know that you think of me as a spoiled child. And I truly don't know how I'll ever be able to make you consider me as an equal, or to think of me as an adult." Harry ran his other hand through his hair nervously and glanced apprehensively at his former professor. "I have wanted you for a very long time. I'm not quite sure when my feelings started changing for you, because I've been lashing out at you for so long trying to deny how I felt, knowing that you'd never…" Harry paused to take a breath. "When it comes right down to it, you're the only person whose opinion truly matters to me. I know that you could never feel the same way, but I could find myself easily falling in love with you. I know that you think me silly and immature, and I don't expect that you could be interested in more than a physical relationship, but I thought you deserved to know how I truly felt."

Severus blinked for a moment, trying to absorb all Harry was saying, and then narrowed his gaze. "Do you honestly think that little of yourself?"

Severus could again see the fear of rejection in Harry's body language. The younger man tried to turn away, and Severus sighed. "I should have killed those bloody Muggles for what they've done to you." Severus cupped Harry's chin in his hand, and forced the younger wizard to see the truth in his eyes. "I do not think of you as 'silly' or 'immature'. If I've shouted that at you during one of our rows, I only did it to hide my own insecurity. I never thought that you would ever consider a relationship with me. You are the most beautiful man I have ever met, Harry Potter. It is I who should be privileged that you want anything to do with me, much less gift me with such a wonderful thing as your love. You are worthy of everything, Harry, not just anything."

"Thank you, Severus." Harry closed the remaining distance between the two of them, and claimed Severus' lips in a languid kiss that seemed to last forever. Severus was finding himself quickly getting lost in the heady sensation of kissing Harry, and having his body so close, but as he felt Harry's hands move to unbutton his robes, Severus forced himself to pull back and still Harry's hands.

"No. Not tonight…at least." Severus smiled reassuringly at Harry when he saw the confusion etched on the younger wizard's face. "Please don't misunderstand. I desperately want to make love with you, but it's too soon. I don't want you to misconstrue my intentions by us taking this step too quickly. Tonight I just want to kiss you, hold you, and shower you with attention, if you will let me. I want spend the night talking with you, learning all about the man you've become…your hopes, your desires, your dreams…and I want to share mine with you as well. I want to find out all about the real Harry Potter."

Harry met Severus' eyes, a trace of bitterness in his voice. "Can I ever really be just 'Harry' to you? Can you ever truly see past how awful my father and his friends were to you?"

"I stopped confusing you with 'James' a long time ago. When I had to rescue you from your relatives' house that night, I had every illusion that I've ever held about you shattered. I knew then that you had never been spoiled or coddled as your father had been during his youth. After all was said and done, that was the night I finally admitted to myself how much I wanted you as a part of my life. You are not the only one who could easily fall in love. I fear I might already be there."

Harry beamed at Severus confidently, as relieved tears streaked down his face. "No Severus, don't fear it. There is enough fear and uncertainty outside these walls. Let's not waste another moment on fear."

In an unspoken agreement, they closed the distance between them, and their lips met in a tender kiss that spoke of things to come: of long passionate nights, of lazy days filled with warm caresses, of a future spent together. Both wizards had a great deal of emotional scars, but tonight they had taken the first step towards healing them.

In a corner of the room, the four translucent founders stirred themselves from the heartrending sight in front of them at Rowena's urging, and retreated back to their hidden lair.

Helga wiped tears from her own eyes. "That was the most beautiful thing I have ever witnessed."

Godric bobbed his head in agreement. "Rowena, I never believed your heir would have it in him after all of his years of shuttering his emotions away to be so open and honest with Harry. He is truly a remarkable young man."

"I know. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes." Her eyes lit up as the full implications of what they had witnessed finally made its impact. "You do realize what this means? The fact that they realize their love for one another can only strengthen the bond. After the wedding they will be joined not only by the strength of our blood and magic, but by their own love."

Salazar smiled an evil smile. "And Tom Marvolo Riddle will never know what hit him."

  



	10. Chapter 10

**A Wedding Story  
Chapter Ten  
By Fyres Destiny**

Harry frowned, a hiss of frustration escaping his lips as he fiddled with the unruly tie. "The blasted thing won't lie straight!" he muttered, his scowl deepening as he glanced again in the mirror.

He'd never worn a tuxedo before, at first because the Dursleys had never bought him one, and then because, in the wizarding world, dress robes were the norm for special occasions. Except, it seemed, this wedding.

Albus had sidled up to him as he'd been heading towards the dungeons, and told him, quite explicitly, to wear Muggle clothing to the wedding. Before Harry had time to respond to this unusual request, the Headmaster had sidled off in the other direction, muttering inanely about castles and voices.

And so here he was, struggling with his first ever tie. Harry growled, at last fed up. Just as he'd reached out to rip the offending cloth off, a hand closed over his own, effectively thwarting his attempt.

"Allow me."

Harry turned, startled, at the sound of a voice that wasn't his own. His surprise melted to happiness, however, as he gazed into the black eyes of the man looking down at him. "How did you get in?" he whispered, a soft smile lightening his features.

Severus smirked, his hands deftly fixing the tie as he responded. "For a man who's escaped Voldemort's clutches numerous times, you can be quite daft." Harry opened his mouth to argue, but Severus cut him off. "Your door was wide open. I suppose you didn't know?"

Harry's cheeks reddened. "I…er, I thought I locked it."

Severus smiled, at last stepping back from Harry. "Done."

Before Harry could complain about the loss of contact, he was distracted by the sight before him. Apparently, tuxedos could do wonders for a man's looks. "Wow," he muttered, gazing at Severus. Not that the man had looked half-bad before, but the black slacks and fitted jacket helped accentuate his dashing features all the more.

He took an unconscious step forward, yearning for contact with Severus. He reached up, intending to pull the man in for a kiss.

"Ah. I do hope I'm not intruding."

Harry growled, although when he turned to face Dumbledore, his expression was a pleasant one. "Hello, Headmaster."

Dumbledore stepped into the room, an amused smile on his face as he studied the two men before him, both with identical expressions of embarrassment on their face.

Severus nodded curtly, smoothing out his slightly wrinkled suit. "Albus." Saying so, he walked past the Headmaster, stalking down the hall to his own room.

Harry smirked as he watched the other man; his walk, while intimidating in billowing robes, looked quite ridiculous in Muggle clothing.

"So, Harry, are you ready for this wedding?" Albus inquired, his eyes twinkling in anticipation. "I must say, I'm quite excited myself. I'm not particularly patient when it comes to secrets." He chuckled, "I remember once when my dear brother Aberforth told me he had a surprise, and I…" he trailed off at the look on Harry's face. Clearing his throat, he continued, "Ahem. Well, maybe this isn't the time. Shall we go?"

Harry, who had been hoping that Severus would escort him to the wedding, glanced hopefully into the adjourning room, but the Potions master was nowhere to be found. Sighing disappointedly, he nodded. "Let's go then, Professor Dumbledore."

Albus shook his head in amusement. "Harry, how many times must I ask that you call me Albus? I am no longer your teacher."

Harry nodded absently, still glancing about for Severus. Not sighting him, he reluctantly opened the door, gesturing the Headmaster out.

"Bye, Severus," he whispered, before shutting the door behind him.

Severus, hearing the click of the door, stalked out of his rooms, looking for the source of the disturbance. He frowned, realizing that no one besides himself was left within the dungeons. Growling, he silently cursed the Headmaster for obstructing his attempt to escort Harry to the wedding, which was taking place in the Great Hall.

His good mood now dampened, he stomped out his rooms, and out the dungeons, a frown upon his face. With each step he took towards the site of the wedding, the noise and chatter increased, not helping his demeanor; Severus was not one for crowds and chaos.

At last, he stepped to the doors of the Great Hall, where there seemed to be a line to get in. As he stood patiently waiting his turn, he took the time to study the guests.

To his surprise, many of them were his own acquaintances, including, to his mortification, several Death Eaters.

"Name, please," the boy at the door muttered, before glancing up from his guest list. "Oh! Professor Snape!" he yelped, reddening at the smirk Severus directed at him. He looked quickly back down at the paper, trailing his finger along until he found the name. "Ah, there you are, Sir." Saying so, he took an envelope out of his satchel, and handed it to the professor. "It's been sealed, Sir, and can only be opened once the ceremony is about to begin." Gesturing towards the left side of the hall, he continued. "The list says you're to be seated on that side."

Nodding curtly, Severus took the envelope and headed towards where he'd been directed. His eyes swept the room for Harry, who, to his disappointment, had been assigned to the right side of the room. Sighing, he took a seat near the back, and waited patiently for the ceremony to begin.

Helga clapped her hands excitedly as she eyed the proceedings. "It's finally happening!" she squealed.

Rowena, who was seated beside her, laughed. "It's wonderful to see you smiling again, Helga." She glanced at the clock beside her, and jumped up in surprise. "Oh! It's time!" she exclaimed, seeing the hand had just ticked on to 'Time for Wedding!"

Gryffindor jumped up. "Alright then, how's this going to work again?" he questioned, nearly hopping up and down in anticipation.

Rowena sighed, shaking her head. "Helga will signal to Albus to open his envelope, which he will do. Inside, are his instructions."

Godric slumped back down in his chair, pouting. "You mean there isn't any fighting or brawling? No yelling? Shouting? Not even food?!" he muttered, looking oddly reminiscent of a three year old.

Slytherin smirked. "Ah, the simple pleasures of the Neanderthal, eating, drinking, and sleeping."

Godric opened his mouth to reply, but Helga cut in, heading off the impending argument. "Honestly, you two, keep your eyes on the real matter at hand here!" she reprimanded.

Rowena shook her head. "Men."

Dumbledore, who'd been standing rather awkwardly at the altar, pondering why he had not been assigned a seat, jumped as the castle suddenly spoke. "Open the envelope, Albus!" it said, its voice tinkling merrily.

He frowned. "But, they're assigned to open at a certain time, are they not? All of them at the same time?"

"Yours contains the instructions for the ceremony. Now open it!"

Albus, sensing the castle's frustration, quickly broke the seal, gingerly taking out the parchment within. His eyes widening at the instructions, he quickly cast 'Sonorus' on himself.

"Hello, everyone. Welcome to the wedding of…well, I don't quite know yet." Some people laughed, but most just urged him to go on, wanting their curiosity satisfied. "According to these instructions here," he waved the parchment at the crowd, "you are all supposed to open your envelopes…now!" As he spoke these words, the sound of ripping filled the air. Speaking louder to be heard over the chattering and noise, he continued, "If yours happens to say groomsmen or bridesmaid, please come up to the corresponding sides of the altar."

Several people slowly stood up, among them Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Lucius Malfoy and Vincent Snuckmoor, and walked to the altar, their expressions ones of surprise and confusion.

The noise increased, as people started making wild guesses at the pair to be married. Dumbledore's own eyes widened in shock, as he stared at the closest friends of his two most dear men, the ones he considered his own sons.

"Ahem. If your card says 'Love' please take your places at the altar…"

The level of noise now reached an unbearable level, and the people still seated looked around to see the two who were, obviously, the bride and the groom.

Dumbledore tried to quiet the unruly crowd, which didn't work, despite his 'Sonorus' charm.

Ironically, the grooms' identical yells of surprise were heard quite clearly over the crowd as their eyes locked.

"What?!"


	11. Chapter 11

**A Wedding Story  
Chapter Eleven  
By ladybrandon**

Harry and Severus stared at each other for a few seconds before they were pulled back to the present by the headmaster clearing his throat. The two continued looking confused as they both neared the front of the Great Hall. Once they were standing side by side, they looked pleadingly at Albus, wanting to know what this was about.

Albus, who had initially gasped when he realized who the wedding was for, had regained his composure, and was smiling, his eyes twinkling more vividly than ever. Returning his gaze to the parchment in front of him, he started to speak, but before he could get a word out, Severus interrupted him.

Almost in a whisper, Severus pleaded with the man to stop what he was about to say. "Albus...stop this farce."

"Severus, we cannot stop this, it is –."

"-I don't care about what this is, Albus, you cannot force Harry and I to be married." Severus glanced at Harry and noticed him turning his head away. Not caring that probably everyone was witnessing this, Severus looked at Harry with a look of true concern on his face "Harry, look at me." Green eyes slowly came into view and Severus could see unshed tears in those beautiful eyes that he had recently fallen for. _Oh for Merlin's sake....does he actually want to go through with this and marry me? And do I really want to marry him? Oh Merlin, yes, more than anything. I never would have imagined this, but if he wants this, than so do I._

Severus lifted Harry's chin with his long slender fingers and looked deeply into the green eyes that were actively searching his. "Is this what you want? Do you want to marry me, Harry?" No matter the look he had seen earlier, he had to ask; there was absolutely no way he would continue this if it was not what Harry truly wanted. It was bad enough that they had been placed in this awkward position. He would get to the bottom of this, and someone would pay.

Harry smiled, and it lit up his, as well as Severus's entire face. "Yes, Severus, I want to marry you, but only if you want to marry me."

Severus nodded and took Harry's hands in his as they both turned to look at the headmaster; they both nodded, and the now grinning Albus, began.

There had been a noticeable increase in volume when Severus and Harry had walked to the front of the Great Hall; shock was written on everyone's faces, and a few made to stand up and put a stop to this travesty, as they saw it. But everyone who had tried doing this had found themselves frozen in place, they could sit down, however, they could not take a step forward.

Hermione and Ron stood with wide eyes, shaking their heads, swearing that they were going to get Snape, for this surely was a cruel joke the man was playing on Harry.

The other Weasleys sat stunned, not saying a word. Hagrid was in the back blowing his nose and was most obviously crying, as the huge tears were falling on his mole skin coat. There were similar reactions throughout the hall, and if Severus and Harry had looked back they would not have found one smile among the guests. In fact, they would have seen hatred in most eyes all directed to either he or Harry. Even Severus's best man was glaring heavily at Harry. But the blond head was smirking as well.

It was doubtful anyone was paying much attention to the actual words which the Headmaster was speaking, but if they were listening they would have heard that this union which they were all witnessing would be the catalyst for a new and peaceful world, that it would usher in a new way of life for witches and wizard's everywhere.

"...It is rare indeed to find that which fills us completely, and it is even rarer to find that which we can complete. With this joining of two such individuals, we are truly witnessing a rebirth; two diametrically opposed souls, ones which were more than likely never destined to join, will do so today. They will find in each other the strength which they lacked in themselves, and together, they will bring fourth a new knowledge, one which will enable them..."

Severus stood there, still not believing this was happening. He was looking intently at his young Harry, who was about to become his husband, wondering if the young man truly realized what was happening. _How can he know that he wants to marry me?_

Harry squeezed Severus's hands and nodded his head, then mouthed three words that Severus had not heard, ever, from anyone. "I love you." The smiling former Gryffindor raised his hand and wiped away a tear that was falling down his future husband's face.

Severus repeated those same three words to Harry, whose smile melted the former Death Eater's heart, and he immediately felt a peace settle over him. He had never been in love before or even loved. Everything was new to him, feelings of caring and wanting to protect someone, but they were ones Severus wanted to feel and know.

Both Hermione and Ron saw the two mouthing to one another, and looked questioningly at each other; the two of them, and anyone else one who had witnessed that small act between the two would not be able to doubt the two men's true feelings; it was written on their faces and in the gentle movement of Harry's small hand moving across the pale white skin of the Potion's Professor's face.

Harry looked to Albus and gasped. Above them, hovered four iridescent figures smiling warmly at him and Severus. Harry nudged Severus, and heard the other man's slight gasp. It was quite obvious who they were by the robes they wore. Four beaming faces were staring at the pair, causing the two to realize that it must have been the founders who had done all of this...but why?

Both men were finding it hard to follow Albus as they had a million questions running around in their heads. Usually one would pay extra careful attention at their own wedding, but both men were so awed that they could not concentrate properly.

Severus was roused from his thoughts by someone, whom just happened to be Albus, clearing his throat rather closely, as if he were trying to get his attention. Severus looked perplexedly at the man who was pointing at the parchment that Severus held in his hand. Dumbledore mouthed to Severus where to look and what he needed to do.

Severus's eyes went huge and he emphatically shook his head. Trying to be as quiet as he could, he spoke in a whisper, "I love Harry, Albus, and I do want to marry him, but I will not speak these words to him out loud. They are not my own, and it would be wrong of me to profess that is which not mine to profess. No, if this is going to go on, then it will be with our own words, not those of four meddling ghosts." Albus's eyes were again twinkling madly, and he nodded his acceptance of what Severus had said.

"Very well, my boys, you may continue."

No longer needing the parchment, Severus folded it and placed it in his pocket. He glanced at the four still smiling ghosts and slightly shook his head, but the small smile he gave them, betrayed any misgivings he might have wanted them to think he had. Taking a deep breath, Severus returned his attention to his nervous looking husband to be, and knew it was time. He surely never thought he would be in this position, but he would not change it for anything. He was staring at his future, who had not so long ago been someone the man could hardly stand to be around. _Thank Merlin people change...thank Merlin, I changed."_

Clearing his throat, and grasping Harry's smaller hands tightly in his larger ones, Severus began. "Harry, I love you. Today is a very special day. Long ago you were just a dream and a prayer. This day is like a dream come true. For today, Harry, you as my joy become my crown. I thank Merlin for the honor of going through time with you. Thank you for being what you are to me. With our future as bright as the promises of Merlin, I will care for you, honor and protect you. I lay down my life for you, Harry, my friend and my love. Today I give to you, me."

Severus smiled through the tears that had fallen, and saw that Harry was also visibly moved by his words. He had not known what to say, he only knew that he could not speak words which had not been from his heart. Somehow, once he began, the words came effortlessly, as if they had been sent to him specifically for Harry. 

Albus looked at Harry and nodded, receiving a nervous nod in return. After a slight squeeze from the warm hands of Severus, the younger man began, voice slightly quivering. "Severus, I love you and I know you love me. I am confident that Merlin has chosen you to be my husband. It is my prayer and desire that you will find in me the helpmeet Merlin designed especially for you, and in confidence I will submit myself unto your headship as unto Merlin. Therefore, Severus, I pledge to you my life as a faithful and loving husband. Whither thou goest I will go, whither thou lodgest I will lodge, Thy people shall be my people."

Harry was still shaking when he finished speaking and Severus pulled him closer to him and smiled, trying to reassure the nervous Harry.

"The ring please."

Harry watched as Lucius handed the headmaster a ring, and saw the Death Eater smirk, then wink at him, before stepping back to his prior position. Harry could hear Albus speaking but was not paying attention. His scar had begun to hurt about the time Lucius looked at him, and the pain was growing increasingly difficult to ignore.

"...Harry, I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you. Please wear my ring as a token of that love." Harry placed his hand where Severus could slide the ring easily on his finger. He then glanced back at Ron to see where his ring for Severus was, but saw Ron and the headmaster shaking their heads.

"There is only the one ring, Harry, sorry, mate." Harry looked hurt, but when he looked at Albus, the man had already returned his attention to his parchment. Finally after what seemed an eternity, Albus announced that Severus and Harry were officially married, and told them they could seal their vows with a kiss. Both men were quite uncomfortable with everyone staring at them; they had not told anyone about their relationship, although they suspected there were those who knew. But they had already discovered their love for each other and were not going to hide it now that they were married. There might be those who would think this was against their will, and would be outraged. But Severus and Harry knew otherwise. Even if it had been unplanned, it was not unwelcome by either of the men. They both knew had this not happened, it was very likely that there would have never been a wedding between them.

Severus took Harry in his arms and brought his head down to meet the younger wizard in a searing kiss, one that gave no doubt to anyone in the room, that this wedding, while not planned by them, had been for them, and for a reason. Both men radiated love to each other, and even Ron had to smile. He knew Harry better than anyone, and knew he was not doing this against his will. Ron looked over at Hermione and smiled, receiving a huge smile in return.

Harry slowly opened his eyes, wanting to savor the kiss for as long as he could. He saw a slight movement over Severus's right shoulder and his eyes grew wide with fear.

With no warning, he pulled away from the warm embrace of Severus and gave him a look which sent chills through the older man's body.

"Harry, we are not finished, I need to officially announce that the two of you are bonded." Albus was beginning to inwardly shake; this was beginning to take on the characteristics of his dream and he did not like it one bit. "Harry, please rejoin Severus's hands with yours."

"No, Albus, you don't understand, just hurry up and announce us, now, Albus."

It says to -."

"I don't care what it says, Just do it, NOW!!!"

The two were speaking in almost whispers so no one else could overhear them, but Severus knew; it all made sense now.

"Okay, turn around you two and face your guests." The two quickly did what the Headmaster requested and intertwined their hands as they nervously looked out over the Great Hall. Harry noticed Remus staring at Severus with a deathly glare, and knew the two would never get along, even for his sake. He noticed Miss Weasley crying, and saw much of the staff doing the same.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to introduce to you for the first time ever, as a bonded and married couple, Misters Harry and Severus Snape."

There was a smattering of applause, but the majority of the room sat in stunned silence, with the sound of occasional sniffling breaking the deathly eerie silence at the obviously content pair standing at the front of the Great Hall. Neither was making to break away from the other, and in fact, both had their arms around the other, looking very happy.

Harry began backing away from Severus and suddenly pulled out his wand and stunned a very smug looking Lucius Malfoy, who was only inches away from Severus. Harry spoke in a calm voice, one which betrayed the terror he actually felt, "No one is going to ruin this day for me, Malfoy, not you, not the Dark Lord, not anyone."

Suddenly, there were pops heard throughout the room, and figures in black robes began yelling curses at the guests, many of, whom were fighting back. The room had gone from being deathly quiet to a roar, in a matter of seconds.

Both Severus and Harry looked helplessly at the four founders, looking for nothing in particular, but needing something, anything. Helga Hufflepuff came floating down to them. "The two of you are joined as one now, bringing the lines together. Apart we can do nothing, but together we can do it all. Believe in your hearts and believe in each other." With that, the ghost disappeared, along with the others.


	12. Chapter 12

**A Wedding Story  
Chapter 12  
By Nicole Snape**

There was only one way to describe what was currently happening. 

It was sheer chaos. 

The guests were unprepared. The previously crying women let out shrieks of terror and the men, who held hatred in their eyes for the happy couple, pulled their wands and began fighting the incoming Death Eaters. Albus was putting wards up and taking out as many Death Eaters as he could. Harry, after stunning Lucius, was unmoving. Severus, ever prepared for anything, began hexing his former Death Eaters and friends. Then suddenly, Voldemort appeared in front of Harry and Severus. 

Harry pulled his wand and faced Voldemort. "This is between you and me, and no one else. I'm going to keep it that way." 

"Harry!" Severus roared. 

Harry then erected a shield, blocking everyone else out, except for Voldemort and himself. They had their dueling area, and only one would come out in the end. 

"Fine, have it your way Potter. It will be easier for me to kill you if Dumbledore can't help you." 

And that is how the duel started. 

"Albus, you need to break Harry's shield. NOW!" 

"I can't it's too strong even for my magical abilities." 

"We need to help Harry!!" 

"We CAN'T unless he removes the shield. This is his battle." 

"That's where your wrong, Albus! This is both our battle!" 

Harry was getting tired fast. Curse after curse after curse was fired, but he was getting weaker. He blocked, hexed, shielded, and cursed until there was almost nothing left of his magic. He was draining himself he could feel it. He wasn't going to make it out alive. It was over for him, his husband, his friends, and the wizarding world. He had failed. He had failed them all. 

"Tired, Potter? Are you ready to give up? 

"Never!" 

"Have you ever heard the saying 'Never say never'?" 

"He isn't going to make it" Snape muttered to himself. "His magic is drained. I can feel it." Severus froze. "I can feel it. I can feel him. If I can feel him, then he can feel me. If he can feel me, then I can transfer my magic to him." 

'This is it,' Harry thought as he fired the last spell that his strength would allow. 

"AVADA KEDVRA" 

'It really sucks being dead if it is this noisy,' Harry thought. 

"Harry? Harry, come on it's time to wake up." 

'Dumbledore? Did he die, too?' Harry wondered. 

"Harry, its time to get up," Dumbledore told him. 

Harry groaned. 

"I am dead, right?" Harry asked Dumbledore. 

"No Harry, I'm happy to say." 

"How did I live?" 

"I'm not sure, but I think Severus transferred his magic to you somehow. Because of it you defeated Voldemort." 

"Where is he? I need to see him!" 

"Harry, Severus isn't well. He almost drained himself completely. Poppy did the best she could but were waiting. He might not make it this time." 

"NO! You're lying. He's okay. Sev wouldn't leave me like this. Where is he?" Harry cried, getting hysterical. 

"Harry calm d–" 

"NO! Sev loves me. He won't leave—" 

"Harry, he most likely will die!" 

"I'll give him my magic!" 

"You only have enough keeping you alive, Harry" 

"No! Nonononononononononono. You're lying." 

"Harry—" 

"STOP LYING!" 

"Harry he's going to die. There is nothing you can do." 

"Tell me that there is a possibility that he will make it!" 

"Harry, there is a slight possibility that he will make it, but it is very unlikely." 

"Can I see him?" 

"Harry, you're emotionally out of control. You need to lay back down and rest. Maybe later you can see Severus." 

Dumbledore handed him a calming drought and a sleeping potion. 

"Drink them Harry. They will help." 

Harry took the potions. His last thought before falling into a deep slumber was that 'Severus was a strong man. He would make it out alive. Right?'   
  



	13. Chapter 13

**A Wedding Story Chapter 13 By Corgi**

Albus watched as Harry fell asleep, but the young wizard's cries of 'No! You're Lying!' rang through his heart, mind, and soul. Once assured the young man was asleep he moved to the secluded bed in the private ward to sit with the man the other was grieving for. Severus was much too pale, paler than he normal was, and his breathing was shallow, as if a huge weight lay on his chest. Albus watched with saddened eyes for several moments before turning to leave the Hospital Wing.

The white-haired wizard felt his years as he made his way up the stairs to his central tower quarters. Once in his office he went to one of the many shelves containing books and pulled out a photo album and sat behind his desk. He opened the book and as he looked at the first picture, Fawkes, his phoenix, swept off his perch to land on the back of Albus' chair. Neither the phoenix nor the Headmaster noticed the translucent form that materialized on Albus' right.

Albus turned page after page of pictures while tears rolled down his cheeks to disappear into his mustache and beard. Fawkes broke the silence with a questioning trill.

"We're losing Severus, old friend." Albus said in a heartbroken voice and Fawkes gave a peculiar pain filled squawk. "Ah, you were planning to go to Severus when my time came?" The scarlet and gold avian bobbed his head and turned his attention back to the photo album.

Picture after picture they looked at and all the photos were of a certain thin, dark-eyed, and black-haired individual. They were pictures of him at his most relaxed, most concentrated and his most stubborn. From his days as a student running through the halls to his last days as a teacher, all the pictures were of Severus during the time that Albus knew him.

"Fawkes, I can't bury another child. I've lost all my blood children and I will not loose my heart one too."

Albus stood with an effort and shuffled to another bookshelf and searched the spines until he found the book he sought.

"Here we are, Fawkes. The answer I seek should be in this book." Albus said in a tired voice, but if you listened closely you could hear a touch of desperation.

Fawkes looked at the ancient and dark bound book and gave a trill of discomfort. The scarlet avian leapt off the chair and flew back to his perch. The phoenix gave the book a fearful glance.

"I know, Fawkes, but I'm willing to pay the price to keep Severus alive. He's just found what I was hoping he'd find all these years. I'm not going to let him die now that he's found love." With that Albus turned his attention to the reddish-black book before him and began to read. The title on the spine glowed brightly allowing the casual observer to read it: 'Rituals and Sacrifices'.

Helga Hufflepuff fled the office the moment she identified the book Albus pulled off the shelf. She had shed tears along side the Headmaster as he wept over the pictures of Severus. She decided to check on Severus and Harry before reporting to the others. She figured she'd have time before Albus found the self-sacrifice spell he was looking for. Helga reappeared in the Hospital Wing and headed to Harry's bed. She was shocked to find the bed empty. After all he was given the Dreamless Sleep potion and not even Severus could throw the effects off that quickly. Helga went to listen at the bathroom door incase Harry was there and needed help. As she approached she heard a quiet feminine voice talking.

"I'm sorry, Harry, he's getting worse and there's nothing I can do to stop it." Helga heard the medi-witch say.

A pain filled and bereft cry issued from Harry's mouth and Helga' blood would have froze at the sound if she still had flesh. She would bet a huge sack of galleons that the young wizard's agony was heard by those still in the Great Hall.

"Why don't you sit by Severus' bedside? He might not hear us, but he'll know you're there. I'll put up some silencing charms so no one will disturb you."

Harry nodded his head and Helga could see the tears trailing down his face. As she moved closer he leaned against the door from and drew his wand. Helga watched him stare at his wand for several long moments. She saw him mutter a spell, but didn't see the results. Being outside the medi-witch's charm Helga couldn't hear what Harry was saying to himself, though the look on his face indicated that it was painful. Suddenly Harry broke his wand over his knew and flung the pieces out into the Hospital Wing. He then headed further into Severus' room and sat as close to the bed as he could.

Helga took a close look at Severus and noticed how shallow his breathing was. They didn't have much time if they wanted to save both Severus and Harry. She was sure that Harry wouldn't live a day longer if Severus died. Helga wasted no time and dematerialized from the infirmary and reappeared next to her long time friends.

"What news, Helga?" Salazar asked, though his face was dour his voice had a wistful hope.

"The news isn't good." Helga sighed.

"Then that scream we heard was one of our boys?" Godric looked like he was on the brink of tears.

"It was Harry," Helga confirmed while her tears began to trail down her translucent cheeks. "Severus doesn't have much time left. He fed all of his magic to Harry, so the young man could eliminate Tom."

"I take it that Harry's not dealing well with the news?" Rowena asked absentmindedly as her eyes began to glaze over.

"No, he's not. If Severus doesn't make it, Harry will be following. He broke his wand."

That comment managed to pull Rowena from her thoughts and stopped Salazar and Godric in their tracks. Salazar's face became very still to the point that not a trace of emotion showed on his face. Rowena allowed several tears to fall before turning her attention inward. Godric showed the most emotion of the four. He cursed and muttered implications. He pace back and forth in agitation and then he began to repeatedly kick the corpse of Voldemort, which was still in the hall waiting for Albus to determine if it was safe to move. Helga let the tears flow as she waited for her friends input. Then she remembered Albus' search.

"Albus is planning on sacrificing himself for Severus." She informed them with a tinge of fear in her voice.

"He has the book then?" Salazar asked. Helga nodded her head and shuddered at the thought of the blood encrusted tome. "I'll deal with him once Rowena finishes her search."

Salazar would have said more, but was interrupted by a shout from the other side of the Great Hall.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" Hermione Granger shouted, her wand pointed at the air above the dead Dark Lord, along with everyone else's.

Godric didn't hear the demand, lost in his grief as he was, and didn't react other than to become more vicious in his attack on the corpse. Salazar and Helga noticed that they had unconsciously allowed themselves to become invisible during their discussion.

"_Accio invisibility cloak!_" Granger cried into the silent hall. She was surprised that no cloak floated into her hand.

Hermione let several curses and charms fly off in Godric's direction causing several of the milling people to scramble out of the way. Godric remained in his own little world as he continued to take out his anger on the corpse of Voldemort. Mad-eye Moody walked up to Hermione and the two had a whispered conversation. Moody's magical eye was fixed on the area Godric was standing. Moody raised his wand and began chanting in Latin. Salazar and Helga looked at each other and broke their silence.

"That will be enough, young man! Put that away before you hurt someone. Salazar's baritone rang out into the Great Hall.

"Who said that? Show yourself!" Moody growled in response.

Salazar and Helga allowed their forms to become visible and listened in amusement as those in the Great Hall went slack-jawed in response. The majority of the people in the room didn't recognize Salazar and Helga, but the few that did were in awe, especially Hermione.

"You're…" The young witch started to say, but was cut of by Salazar.

"I know, you read all about me in _'Hogwarts, A History'_." Salazar replied with mischief in his eyes.

"Sal, we don't have time for your games. Rowena, dear, would you make yourself visible?" Helga said and slowly the form of Rowena became visible, though her attention was still turned inward.

"What is going on here?" Moody's growl could once again be heard as he still watched the rocking corpse.

"That, over there, is Godric Gryffindor and he's a tad upset at the moment. It's better that we let him get on with his venting in peace." Salazar told the retired Auror.

"As to our situation," Helga continued, "Severus fed his magic to Harry through the bond that formed when they were married. Unfortunately he drained himself too much and if Rowena can't find a solution we'll lose him and Harry."

"If Snape's drained, how is it that Harry will die?" Ron asked with a puzzled frown.

"Harry will not wish to live if he loses Severus." Helga answered and looked exasperated when Ron gave her his patented 'I haven't a clue' look.

"I'll get him on track later." Hermione told the ghost.

"Got it!" Rowena crowed out loud causing several people to jump and draw their wands.

"What did you find Rowena?" Godric, finally calmed enough to be human, asked.

"We can feed Severus the magical energy he needs."

"How, Rowena?" Salazar questioned, hope evident in his voice despite his cold stature.

"With the wards we erected. We'll take them down, but instead of grounding the energy from them into the earth we'll channel them through us into Severus." Rowena replied with a look of fierce determination.

"Do you think it will work? After all Severus is your heir Rowena. The rest of us have no connection to him." Salazar stated while hoping she could refute his claims.

"He is bonded to your heir. That'll be a sufficient connection for this magic."

"Then I'll head upstairs and take that book away from Albus, before he does something foolish." Salazar dematerialized to the Headmasters office. Helga and Rowena continued to discuss the logistics for their plan while ignoring the people in the hall, who were staring in shock, especially after Hermione told them who they were.

"Excuse me," Arthur Weasley broke into the two founder's conversation. "Why are you here now? Why haven't you shown yourselves until now?" The elder Weasley asked while keeping a wary eye on Godric.

"We've always been here. We've watched over the school once we all left our mortal bodies behind." Rowena responded in a quiet voice that still carried throughout the hall.

"I've been advising the Headmasters of Hogwarts for centuries." Helga added. "The only reason we've made ourselves know was because of a pact we made before we died."

"Can you tell us?" Hermione asked and both women could see the ideas running through her mind.

"Yes, we can. We promised that we would join our bloodlines into one and that's why we were here today. Severus is Rowena's heir and Harry is Salazar's, Godric's and my own heir." Helga supplied to the bushy-haired witch.

"But your line was rumoured to have died our several generations ago," was Hermione's shocked response.

"Helga has always had phenomenal luck. She could fall into a cesspit and come out with a sack of galleons." Godric inject with a bit of humour in his ghostly eyes. He gave Voldemort's corpse once last kick before moving towards the rest of his audience. "The Potter's have always taken in strays, be they two legged or four. During the centuries they collected our heirs into their family."

"Too true, but I suggest we head up to the Hospital Wing and set up for the transfer." Rowena said. "Alastor, would you be so kind and recruit some Aurors to guard the school's perimeter? We'll be using the wards to restore Severus' magic and the school will be vulnerable until new ones are cast."

Moody gave a brief nod and moved off to the cluster of Aurors getting ready to transport the prisoners to the Ministry hold cell. Everyone else not occupied followed the ghostly forms to the infirmary.

Harry sat next to Severus' bed and held on of his hands for what felt like days. He had no concept of time and he watched every fall and rise of Severus' chest with the same attention he'd give to a snitch. As time progressed in Harry's warped world he noticed how much harder his husband's breathing became. Lost in despair Harry pulled out the dagger his transfigured from an empty potion vial. He knew time was running out for Severus and he didn't want to be alone, especially just after finding love.

With a trembling hand he drew the dagger over his left wrist. As he drew the blade across his wrist they sharp pain caused him to gasp and his right hand jerked. The dagger clattered to the floor, but Harry did enough damage to himself. He watched with morbid fascination as the blood poured out of the gaping wound. 'At least I won't have to deal with the pain of losing Severus,' was Harry's fuzzy thought. Once again he just sat there, having no inkling of the passage of time. As his vision blackened he kept his dimming sight on Severus. He never heard the shouted 'Harry', nor did he feel the hands that clamped over his bloody wrist. Darkness claimed him shortly afterwards and Harry knew no more.

The parade following the three founders arrived in the Hospital Wing and they entered to see Albus Dumbledore engaged in a screaming match with Salazar Slytherin.

"I need that book, you fool." Albus shouted at Salazar, his anger very noticeable in his stance as he glared at the ghost in front of him. "Without it Severus will die."

"No ones going to die, young man." Salazar said in a mild tone. Albus looked shocked at being called a young man and was about to retort when he remembered who he was arguing with. "You'll do no one any good by sacrificing yourself that way. You'll only taint Severus' life by doing that ritual."

"What am I supposed to do?" I refuse to bury another child, you relic." Albus snarled.

"No, Rowena's got another plan. We don't wish to lose our heirs." Salazar's still unruffled voice rang into the silence.

Everyone, but Hermione and Ron, watched the argument with wide eyes. Ron and Hermione went to the private room to visit with Harry since they didn't see him in the main room. They intended to sit with Harry during his vigil.

The two Gryffindors entered the room and froze in shock. Harry was sitting in a chair staring at his husband while a widening puddle of red formed on the floor below his chair.

"Harry!" Hermione screeched as she charged towards him. She clamped a hand around his wrist in an attempt to staunch the blood flow.

Ron ran out of the room, bellowing for Madam Pomfrey. His desperate yelling halted the on going argument between Albus and Salazar. When Ron told the medi-witch what Harry had done, Poppy grabbed several potions from her closet and scurried into the room. The founders, Albus and Ron were right on her heels. When they entered the room, Poppy had just finished closing the wound on his wrist and, with Hermione's help, was beginning to pour a blood replenishing potion down his throat. Sitting on the floor beside her were several healing potions and an energizing potion. One by one she poured them down his throat and making sure he swallowed them.

With a sigh she got up off the floor and used a levitating charm to lift Harry from the chair. Once she had him horizontal she ran a scan and tsked as the results.

"He's drained what little magic he had in his system. I don't know if he's going to recover." She told the crowd in the room. "Let me get him back into his bed."

As she began to maneuver him out of the private room she was interrupted by an irate, ghostly Godric.

"Where do you think you're going, woman?" Godric snapped.

"I'm bringing Mr. Potter back to his bed so he can rest." Poppy snapped just as irritably back at the founder.

"You'll put him in the bed next to his spouse, where he belongs. Idiots, the lot of you. They were just bound and you placed them in separate rooms, you've compounded the problem of their drained magic. If Severus couldn't feel Harry through the bond the marriage formed between them, then he might have thought that Harry died and lost his will to live." Godric snarled at the medi-witch.

Poppy did what she was ordered and placed Harry into the bed Severus occupied, after Hermione enlarged the bed to accommodate both men. Godric calmed once Harry was settled next to Severus. Albus was still aggravated, something no one in living memory has had the opportunity to see, and shooting glares at Salazar. Once his anger dispersed somewhat, Albus realized that he had all four of the school's founders in the room with him.

"Why are you all here?" Albus asked, for once not knowing what was going on in the school.

"We would have told you had you not gone insane and pulled that blasted book off the shelf. It was part of the headmaster's collection so it wouldn't be used. Next time I'll leave it in my pet's old lair." Salazar hissed.

"That's enough, Salazar. We don't have much time so we'll have to get started. Alastor should have enough Aurors in place around the school by now." Rowena calmly interjected before Albus and Salazar could start up again. "We'll have to feed the magic into both of them. The bond should equalize the magic levels in them. Ric and Helga, you two feed into Severus while Sal and I will do the same to Harry."

"What are you planning to do?" Hermione asked, looking like she was back in school listening to an interesting lecture.

"We're going to pull down the wards we erected when we built the school. Normally when wards and massive shields are removed the magical energy is channeled into the earth to be dissipated. This time as we pull the wards down we're going to channel the released magical force into Severus and Harry to bolster what they've drained from themselves. I'll explain it in more detail at a later date." Rowena answered, easily stepping into lecture mode despite the centuries that had passed since she was a teacher.

"Why are Godric and Helga feeding Severus and not Harry?" Ron asked, red-faced at having Salazar working on his best friend.

"This isn't about your stupid house rivalries!" Godric snapped. "Grow up, boy, or you'll never survive in whatever career you chose to pursue!"

"Godric and Helga excelled at defensive magic, which is what the wards around the school are primarily. Their shields contain much stronger magic due to their expertise, which is why they're feeding Severus the magical force from their wards since he needs more to recover. Salazar and I shall be using the magic from our own castings to bolster Harry's magic." Rowena explained before Godric decided to hex the youngest Weasley son.

"Are we ready?" Helga asked as she moved into position next to Godric.

"Salazar and Godric just nodded in response and Rowena whispered a 'yes'. Soon the four founders each touched their assigned patient and closed their eyes. The four chanted, in unison, a long string of Latin and began to glow. Hermione watched in fascination as the glow moved from the founders to their respective patients. The glow surrounding Godric, Helga and Severus was blindingly bright compared to the softly glowing trio of Salazar, Rowena and Harry. After what seemed to be an eternity the light faded and the founders moved away from the bed. All four looked more transparent than before, but the change in Severus was very noticeable. He was no longer had the deathly pallor and his breathing wasn't laboured anymore. Harry showed some color now that there was enough magic in his system to help the blood replenishing potion to work.

"Let's leave them alone now. They'll only need to be check for complications from here on out." Helga told the gathered people and shooed them out the door.

"When will they wake?" Albus asked with a last look at the two unconscious men.

"They'll wake when they're ready to do so. It could take less than a day or up to a month. It's all up to them and their body's ability to bounce back from strain." Rowena answered with a sigh of weariness.

"Why did you go through all this trouble to marry Harry and Severus? It could have been a huge disaster if they didn't suddenly find a liking for each other." Hermione asked and several other people voiced a similar sentiment.

"As Helga told Ms. Granger earlier, Severus is Rowena's last living descendent and Harry is the last one for Godric, Helga and I. Before our little disagreement about allowing those witches and wizards born in Muggle families to return to their homes sent us our separate ways, we had all agree to merge our bloodlines into one. Unfortunately it's been over 1,000 years and we're just getting there." Salazar answered the crowd, ignoring the hostile stares from the Muggle born.

"Ummm, how do you expect them to carry on the bloodlines? I mean there both male." Hermione asked with a puzzled frown.

"Severus is a Potions Master, Ms. Granger. It's a trifle for him to brew a Masculus Gravida Potio." Salazar lifted an eyebrow in surprise as the entire room gave him blank looks, with exception to his long time friends. "What do they teach you lot these days. It was widely used in our day. Just open the copy of 'Kriber's Tome of Break Through Potions'. It's a self-updating book in the restricted section."

"There isn't any book by that title it the school's library. I've read every single book in the school library and that wasn't one of them." Hermione informed the long deceased wizard.

"Ms. Granger there is no possible way for you to have read the entire restricted section. There are books in there that Madam Pince wouldn't have allowed you to check out." Minerva replied, hardly anyone in the room remembered she was there and as a result of her sudden entrance into the conversation some people jumped in surprise.

"Oh, she read all the books in there and in the teacher's reserved stack. Rowena and I have had several years of amusement trying to keep Harry from getting caught sneaking into the library to purloin the books for her." Helga chuckled in amusement at the memories.

"Ms. Granger! You…" Minerva started before she was interrupted.

"If Harry didn't smuggle the books out to me he, Ron and I would have died in our sixth or seventh year. Without the spells I gleaned from the books and Harry worked out the uses of we wouldn't have escaped the Death Eaters those two times we were cornered by them." Hermione said with a stubborn tilt to her head.

"Really there's no point in fighting over it now. We'll just have to wait until Harry recovers so he can open either Sal's vault or my own and retrieve a copy of the book. If you're lucky he may donate one to the school library to replace the missing one." Godric broke in to stem off an argument between the two witches. "Any other point is moot until Harry and Severus are back on their feet. It's up to them whether they wish to have children. Harry I'm sure would wish to, but watching Severus all these years makes me believe that he will not."

"It's all moot until they make their choices. We'll just have to sit and wait." Rowena said. "We all need a rest so it's best if Albus and the other's deal with their remaining guests while we recover from our casting."

"Would you answer one more thing before you go?" Hermione asked with a determined glint in her eyes. At the four's nod of agreement she launched into her question. "How is it you four are able to manipulate objects while our resident ghosts can't, well with exception to Peeves that is?"

"We ended up being spirits because our pact wasn't complete during our life times. Given the amount of power we possessed during our lives we retained much of our magical abilities. We not dissimilar to the school's poltergeist in some abilities, but we have a few that Peeves doesn't. One of which is, we can make ourselves corporeal for significant periods of time. Another is our ability to still use our wands to cast spells. Also since we founded the school, the house-elves are more than happy to fulfill any request we have." Rowena replied to the overly curious witch. She still wondered how the young woman ended up in Gryffindor.

"So one of you must have retrieved Harry's stuff from his uncle's place?" Ron asked hoping that for once his theory was correct.

"That would have been my doing," Godric replied with a short bow.

"You drove Harry nuts. He flooed everyone he knew trying to find out who brought the stuff to him." Ron told his house's founder with an amused grin.

"I didn't intend to alarm him at all, but I definitely wanted to dole out some punishment to those blasted Muggles." Godric smiled at the memory.

"What's more amazing is how you lot got them to admit something other than loathing for each other." Albus said with a great deal of admiration in his voice. "I've been trying for years and failed spectacularly."

"Well actually we didn't have anything to do with that," Salazar said with an annoyed grimace. He then muttered something that no one heard and elicited a chorus of 'What?' from the others present.

"What Sal's too embarrassed to say is, Harry's owl seemed to be playing matchmaker. She was the one who managed to get the two together. It certainly made our job easier." Rowena answered the curious crowd, which now included the rest of the Weasley clan and Hogwarts staff.

While Rowena was talking to the crowd, Helga wandered back to Harry and Severus' room. While Rowena and Salazar spoke about the two men's recently discovered feelings, something stirred in the back of her mind. That feeling was why she returned to the men's room. When they left the room earlier both Harry and Severus were lying on their backs side by side. They were no longer in that position. Both men were lying on their sides facing each other. Harry had his head buried in Severus' chest and the older wizards arms were wrapped protectively around the slight wizard's body. A quick scan by Helga showed they still were in the healing coma's their bodies forced them into. The positions the two were in nagged Helga insistently. It was like an itch she couldn't scratch. She looked out the doorway and scanned the crowd as she tried to stalk the elusive memory. She caught sight of Godric looking towards the doors of the Hospital Wing as if he was waiting for someone to enter. In a flash of sudden insight she remembered! Godric and his wife, that's what she was reminded of when Sal and Rowena started to talk about Harry and Severus.

She remembered when Godric first laid eyes on the woman who would become his wife. She had come to the school much older than their average student. She was from an old pure-blooded family that didn't believe in educating their daughters beyond those spells need to keep the house and house-elves in order.

Helga smiled at the memory of Genevieve storming into the castle demanding to be taught, swinging at her father and uncles with a skillet as they tried to bring her home. She was disowned on the spot, but that didn't matter to her. All thoughts of being cut off from her family evaporated the moment she locked eyes with Godric. Salazar, Rowena and she decided that Genevieve needed to be put on a fast track and arranged for private one on one instruction with all her teachers. There wasn't a time during her schooling that she didn't either have her nose in a book. Those few times she wasn't reading were spent in Godric's company. They were smitten and during their time as teachers they saw a few other instances of 'love at first sight', but never with people who were still of schooling age.

Genevieve and Godric married shortly after her schooling was done and Helga never recalled seeing Godric so happy. Sadly his private fairy tale came to a crashing halt when an aspiring Dark Lord came barreling down upon the village where he a Genevieve lived. Both escaped the village as their sons dealt with the 'Dark Lord'. Genevieve was badly injured and was taken to Hogwarts to recover. Every time the healer drugged Godric to keep him out of the way, Godric managed to find his way back to his wife's bed. Every time the healer left he found them in the same position Harry and Severus was still in. When Godric recovered his wits from the fog the potions gave him, he ripped into the healer telling him that forcing them apart was telling his wife that he was dead. He refused to be budged. Godric and the rest of them realized that Godric and Genevieve were tied closer than the marriage bonds. It took a little digging through Rowena's pile of tomes, but they found the answer. Godric and Genevieve were soul-mates. A rare occurrence in the wizarding world and she thought she was lucky to have met one such couple. To have the second soul-bound couple she's encountered be a part of her family is a delight that words couldn't describe. To think they played a part in opening their eyes to each other was indescribable. It also explained Godric's venom towards the medi-witch earlier.

Helga returned to the main room of the infirmary and watched as the conversations began to wind down and everyone began to disperse. Godric was still watching the doors waiting for someone to arrive. Helga began to suspect that his Genevieve was still at the school, much as they were. She moved closer to Godric and when he turned to her, she gave him a small smile.

"Figured it out did you?" Godric responded with a smile of his own.

"Yes, I did. They reminded me so much of you and Genevieve when I checked up on them." Godric grinned at her and turned back to the doors. Helga's smile brightened when a familiar form walked through the solid doors of the Hospital Wing.

Helga stepped back to give the two some privacy and wondered where Genevieve was hiding all these centuries.

"Helga it's wonderful to see you again!" Genevieve closed the distance between them and embraced her one time teacher.

"I'm pleased to see you once again, my dear. Have you been here all these centuries?" She asked and received a nod in reply. "And you didn't come to visit? I thought we taught you better manners than that." Helga chided.

"I have been busy. All the house ghosts have duties to perform during the school year. The students of Ravenclaw House know me as the Grey Lady and I didn't visit because I didn't want anyone to know you four were still around. Godric did manage to sneak a few visits in over the centuries. You know how people are. If they knew you were still here they'd never give you a moment's peace or bother to figure things out on their own." Genevieve replied, her joy at being in her mate's presence showed brightly in her eyes.

Helga watched with a smile as the two left the room. She slowly faded into nothingness and returned to her usual haunts when not manipulating thick headed headmasters.

Weeks past before one of the two unconscious men finally woke and, much to the dismay of the red-headed Weasley clan, the one who did was Severus. When Severus opened his eyes in the inner room of the Hospital Wing he wasn't aware of anyone but the young man nestled against him. To the shock of those who were watching over them that morning, Severus smiled brightly at the young man. He only became aware of the presence of the other two people when he heard the thud of a falling body hitting the floor.

He bolted upright in the bed, losing contact with his husband's body as he groped blindly for his wand. It took Severus a few moments before he realized where he was and he relaxed a bit. At Albus' chuckle his habitual scowl crossed his features as he glared at his mentor. A casual look around the room showed Filius Flitwick's unconscious form on the floor. A smirk of amusement graced his face as he turned to question is mentor. He didn't get a chance to voice his questions when the smaller form of Harry began to thrash in panic. Severus reached out and placed a hand on the smaller man's cheek and immediately Harry calmed down, snuggling closer Severus once he was reassured of the other's presence.

Once Harry was settled, Severus turned his attention to Albus, whose eyes were twinkling madly as he watched the two men. Severus glared and raised a questioning eyebrow and gave a pointed look to the still unconscious Filius.

"Filius wasn't prepared to see you smile, Severus. The sight was too much for the poor man." Albus said with grin.

"I don't smile." Severus growled.

"Ah, Severus, but you do. It was the first thing you did when you awoke."

"You two had better not go blabbing to the staff. It'll ruin my reputation, that is, if it survived the wedding."

"I wouldn't worry about that. Everyone still thinks you're your usual nasty self. You left a lot of bodies in your wake during the battle."

"Thank Merlin for small miracles." Severus rolled his eyes before turning his attention to the man lying beside him. "What would people say if the knew how quickly I fell in love with you?" He said quietly to the still man next to him, completely forgetting about Albus' presence in the room.

"Many will faint in shock and others will believe the end of the world is near. Severus Snape admitting that he has human emotions and needs will definitely be a moment to remember." Albus said with a chuckle before continuing in a more serious vein. "I'm happy that you finally realized that you are human and that you deserved some happiness. I'll admit finding out that your love interest was Harry was a bit of a shock."

"It was to both of us as well. We've only just started walking on this path together. The wedding was the crowning moment of a week of surprises and emotional ups and downs." Severus said and Albus saw everything Severus had kept hidden all these years beneath his mask.

"Just remember, Severus, you both deserve to be happy and you're both free to enjoy it."

Severus looked up at Albus in surprise and then gazed down at his left arm. The Dark Lord's mark was gone and all that remained was a puckered scar that could be passed off as a laboratory accident. Severus shut his eyes and shook silently in reaction. He allowed the relief to drown him for several long moments before he opened his eyes and replaced his emotionless mask.

"How long were we unconscious?"

"Almost four weeks," Albus answered quietly. "We're two weeks into the school year and before you ask, Ms. Granger is covering your class until you're ready to return."

Severus acknowledged the information with a nod and allowed his mind to wander back to the wedding. He remembered Harry's gasp of surprise and his nudging to attract his attention. He remembers his own shock at seeing the four ghosts hovering above Albus.

"If you didn't plan this fiasco, then I have to assume the four meddling ghosts did. The question is why?" Severus asked quietly.

"Yes, the ghosts did plan the wedding. Did you recognize them?" Severus shook his head and waited for Albus' answer. "They are Hogwarts' founders."

"Why would the founders want to interfere with our lives?" Severus snarled, partly at the meddling of four long dead people and partly because of the discomfort of portions of his anatomy falling asleep due to how Harry was curled up against him. He carefully adjusted how he was sitting and gently lifted Harry so that the younger man was lying between his legs with his back resting on Severus' chest. He turned back to Albus with a scowl. "Well?"

"Perhaps I should answer that." Severus whipped his head in the direction of the new voice and saw two ghosts standing in the doorway. One he recognized from the wedding the other he's knew for years since she was one of the house ghosts.

"What excuse are you going to give me?" Severus snarled at the translucent man.

"It's not much of an excuse, but given the pure-blood background you possess then you should understand this. It was an ancient marriage contract. Salazar, Rowena, Helga and I made an oath to join our bloodlines into one. We've waited over a millennium for that pledge to be fulfilled."

"How do you expect us to join your bloodlines? There isn't a charm or potion, despite everyone's efforts, that will allow us to have a child." Severus told Godric in a bitter tone.

Severus tilted his head forward allowing his hair to fall about his face so he could hide his pain from the others. He lowered his head so he could hide his face further in Harry's hair. Instead of encountering his husband's hair he felt a gentle touch on his cheek. When he opened his eyes, which he didn't remember closing, he saw shimmering emerald ones staring back. Harry's eyes were filled with love and worry, but Severus could see a rising insecurity and he realized that Harry heard the bitterness in his tone. He guessed the younger man thought that tone was in reference to him.

"It's not you, Harry, just some old memories rearing their ugly heads." Severus smiled at the younger man, who relaxed with the reassurance. Harry untwisted himself and looked back to the ghosts. Severus breathed a sigh of relief now that Harry was awake, but as he turned back to the others in the room he caught sight a scar on Harry's left wrist, one that wasn't there before the wedding. "Harry, what is this?"

Harry flinched at the question, but didn't get a chance to respond when the spirit of Godric Gryffindor interrupted.

"That ties in with the rest of my explanations." The ghost said, gaining the attention of everyone in the room including the now conscious Filius, who was managing to get to his feet. "To go back to joining our bloodlines, there is a way for you to conceive and bear children. The potion was developed not long after Hogwarts was founded."

"That male fertility potion has been nothing but a myth. Potion Masters have been trying to recreate it for centuries." Severus snapped in annoyance.

"We didn't know that the book disappeared from everywhere. Even Hogwarts' copy has vanished. It is possible that one of the previous Dark Lords was less than fond of same sex partnerships and had the books destroyed." Genevieve told the two men.

"There should be a copy in both Salazar's and my vaults. Now that Harry is married and our oath fulfilled the keys to all of our vaults will be made available to you both. You'll be able to retrieve them from the goblins once that mad medi-witch allows you to leave." Godric added.

"What's the catch?" Harry asked with a skeptical look on his face.

"Catch? What do you mean?" Godric asked, obviously confused by the question.

"The conditions, requirements or expectations you require; anything that will rear its ugly head and bite us in the arse at a later date." Harry's weary voice echoed in the room.

"Oh… There are no demands, though we do have a small request. If the two of you choose to have more than one child, we ask that you allow Albus and Minerva to train one of the children to take over the school." Godric said softly.

"Why would that be necessary, Godric?" Albus asked, a concerned expression graced his features.

"It's not necessary in the long run. Mostly it's just a bit of vanity on our part. We always hoped our children would want to run the school, but it never worked out that way. There are some spells imbedded in the walls of the castle that require renewing by members of our bloodlines, but they aren't critical ones." Godric responded, a touch sheepish at the admission.

"That's all well and good, but what does all that have to do with this?" Severus snarled, turning Harry's arm so that the scar across his wrist was visible.

"Sorry, Severus, we got side-tracked. Did Albus mention what happened when Harry started fighting Voldemort?" Genevieve asked the dark-haired wizard, who was glaring at everyone in the room and making Harry cower a bit.

"No. The last thing I remember was feeling Harry's energy depleting and realizing that I could send him mine through our bond."

"Which is what you did, but you gave everything you had to Harry and drained yourself comatose." Albus said softly with a hint of fright and grief lingering in his voice.

"You drained yourself so badly that your body was shutting down. You had no more magic to aid in healing your body from its stress. You were dying slowly." Genevieve took up the narrative once again. "Harry didn't take that news well and Albus had to drug him in order to get him to rest. His own magical force was at a minimum since he threw everything you and he had into the Killing Curse he killed Voldemort with."

"Harry managed to burn off the potion and moved to your bedside, they had put you in separate rooms. He found out from the medi-witch that you were steadily getting worse and he didn't take the news well." Godric continued the tale, keeping eye contact with Severus the whole time. "Harry did not wish to continue living without you and chose to end it. Only Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley's entrance foiled his attempt. It was then I realized that you two are much like Genevieve and I."

Harry and Severus looked at the ghost of Godric Gryffindor with expectant expressions, though Severus' had a touch of disbelief. Neither said a word as the ghost searched for the appropriate words. Severus' fingers stroked over the scar while he held the younger man to him tightly with his right arm.

"When I thought back at how sudden your change in attitudes towards each other was, I remembered when I first met my wife. We were inseparable the moment she crossed the school's threshold.

Genevieve and I are soul mates and so are you two. We didn't know that at first, though I know Helga's honoured to be a part of yours forming. When you both were set in separate rooms Severus' soul believed that Harry was dead since his magic was too depleted to find the bond between them. As a result Severus' soul was preparing to depart this world. The sensation fed back to Harry as he got closer to Severus and influenced his own decision to leave this plane."

"Both you and Harry needed more magical energy to survive and Godric and the others pulled down the wards they set into place centuries ago and fed the released energy into you both." Genevieve took up the explanation. "Other than that there isn't much more to tell. Everything else is up to you two."

"We'll discuss it, but that's all we'll promise." Severus stated his eyes boring into those surrounding Harry and him. He felt Harry nod in agreement as he gathered his thoughts for his next comment. "I certainly won't endanger either of us with an unknown potion. It might have been an acceptable potion during your lifetime; it certainly won't meet my standards of acceptance."

"Fair enough, Severus. We'll leave you and Harry alone until Poppy comes to examine you two again." Albus said as he shooed the still speechless Filius out of the room.

The two ghosts followed the Headmaster out and Harry and Severus were left alone in the room. The two basked silently in the presence of the other, neither willing to break the fragile peace between them with words. Severus released Harry's wrist and wrapped his arms tightly around his husband. Harry turned his head so his cheek was resting on Severus' chest and his arms were draped over the arms encircling him. They fell asleep once they settle, Harry lulled by the sound of Severus' heart beat and Severus by the peace and love the other exuded. They remained that way until Poppy's entrance jerked them out of their slumber.

The medi-witch found herself at wand point after startling Severus awake. Harry was already off the bed, giving Severus freedom of movement, and had the metal water pitcher from the nightstand in hand and ready to throw.

"I see old habits die hard," she said dryly, pulling her wand out. "Now sit and let me scan you."

"Hurry up and get it over with," Severus snarled while Harry sighed in resignation.

Poppy took her sweet time dong the tests, ignoring Severus' glares and snarls as she worked. She started on Severus then moved onto Harry, running what seemed, to the two patients, to be a hundred tests. Finally she finished running every scan and test she could think of.

"Given what you two have been through you're both in remarkable health." She said while pocketing her wand.

"Good. We're leaving." Severus said, opening the cupboard where Harry's and his clothes were placed.

"Oh, NO YOU"RE NOT!" Poppy bellowed at the Potions Master.

"Yes, we are. I've never stayed here any longer than necessary and I'm not going to start now." Severus growled back as his patience began to fray. "Nor do I wish to deal with the endless stream of people who will be through here the minute Harry's recovery is leaked."

"You both need to rest. I know you, Severus Snape; you'll go straight to your laboratory and ignore everything I've ordered."

"Poppy, I want to spend my time alone with my _husband_." Severus gave the matron a pointed look.

"Besides, Madam Pomfrey, I've spent so much time here as a student, I don't want to start spending time here now that I'm not a student. We also wouldn't be able to rest with every self-important idiot from the Ministry filing in every three seconds. And let's not mention the reporters." Harry added with pleading eyes.

"All right, but you had better rest. I'll be checking up on you!"

With the medi-witch's reluctant permission the two men dressed quickly and fled to Severus' dungeon rooms. When they arrived Severus turned to lock and ward the doors so no one could bother them. Severus grasped Harry's hand and led the younger man to the sofa where they spent many comfortable evenings before the wedding just talking. As they sat, Severus noticed two things. Something was added to his rooms and something was different about Harry. On the table there were two sets of boots made of what looked like snakeskin to Severus. Next to the boots was a note addressed to Harry, but in a hand Severus wasn't familiar with. The change in Harry took Severus several moments of searching to find and he was aggravated that he didn't notice it sooner. It was so obvious considering how much he hated those horrid glasses Harry wore. 

"Harry, what happened to your glasses?" Severus asked quietly when Harry looked at him with a questioning look.

"I'm wearing them…" Harry trailed off as he realized that his black framed glasses weren't on his face and he was able to see clearly without them. "I don't know," he said very softly.

Severus pulled his wand and rattled off several scanning spells. He didn't find anything wrong with Harry's eyes. Actually he didn't find any evidence of there ever being anything wrong with his eyes. He then turned his attention to the boots and letter on the table and scanned those. All he found was the sizing charm unique to the house-elves and nothing else. Harry gave him a questioning look and at Severus' nod picked up and opened the letter.

_Dear Harry and Severus,_

The boots are a small gift from the four of us. You both should recognize the skin. I know you've seen the creature it came from several times over the years. The house-elves have spelled the boots to size themselves the moment you put them on.

Harry, during our casting to heal both you and Severus from the magical drain you suffered I took the opportunity to reverse your eyesight. Considering it was from my side of the family that gave you such horrid sight. You'll never need the glasses again and believe me; they get in the way of personal matters.

Best wishes,  
Salazar

"That answers that question," Severus muttered and turned to Harry. "Now perhaps you can explain why you felt this was necessary?" Severus rubbed his fingers over the scar on Harry's wrist.

Harry's eyes went blank as he tried to search for the proper words to convey the grief he was feeling as Severus laid there struggling. He was silent for several moments before turning to his husband with frustration etched on his face.

"I can't explain it," he said with a moment's hesitation. "Why don't you look and see for yourself?"

Severus looked at his mate in surprise and slowly picked up his wand. With a barely audible '_Legilimens_' he delved through the memories Harry didn't try to hide. He saw and felt how tired he was and then the sudden rush of energy that Severus sent down their bond. He felt Harry's surprise at being alive and the surge of denial as Albus tried to brace the green-eyed man for the worst. He felt the agony that ripped through his husband's soul when Poppy said things were getting worse. He watched the memory of Harry snapping his wand and throwing away the pieces and felt the stabbing pain of the dagger biting into Harry's skin. All those images and feelings had panic and fear laced through them. He knew then that Harry wouldn't have survived yet another loss.

Severus ended the spell and threw his wand on the table. He looked at Harry with stunned eyes and gently pulled his husband closer. He held Harry tightly two him as he waiting for his mind to digest all he learned. Harry did not do things half way and he certainly wasn't doing holding back when it came to their relationship. Severus tilted the smaller man's head up and gently brushed his lips over Harry's. Slowly they deepened the kiss until the need for air became too great to ignore. Harry ran his hand down Severus' neck and plucked lightly on the concealed buttons of his robe. Severus halted Harry's hand before the younger man could start undoing the miniscule buttons on his robe.

"Are you sure you want to do this now?" Severus asked softly.

"Yes, please." Harry whispered back. A few moments later he smiled at Severus with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "I won't be able to rest unless I'm tired. So why don't you tire me out?"

"Perhaps I shall." Severus replied with a chuckle as he pulled Harry to his feet and led the younger man into the one place in his rooms the other had never been, his bedroom.

Once inside they proceeded to undress each other, Harry cursing Severus' choice of robes each time he undid a button. After Severus had succeeded in removing Harry's clothes he took pity and muttered a spell that undid all the buttons holding his robes closed. Harry glared and quickly stripped Severus of the last of his clothing. They stood for a few moments to stare hungrily at each other before meeting halfway for another kiss. Severus slowly back up, taking Harry with him, as the kiss deepened until his fell onto his bed, pulling Harry down on top over him. He groaned when he felt the younger man's erection brush against his own. Harry chuckled and began to slowly map his husband's body with hands and mouth making sure to note all those places that made the taller man gasp. After a few more moments of torture by Harry, Severus turned the tables and responded in kind. When he couldn't hold off any more he prepared his lover and showed him just how loved he was. They held each other gently as the aftershocks of bliss ran through them and they allowed their exhaustion to drag them into oblivion.

"Come on Russ. We're hungry!" A young male voice rang out, echoing through the empty corridors of Hogwarts.

"Yeah, Russ, hurry." Another male voice yelled, agreeing with the first.

"If you're in such a hurry to stuff your faces then go already." Another voice echoed through the hallways. It was slightly older sounding and held a bit of stubborn dignity to it.

"You know they'll be mad if we arrived by ourselves." The two boys answered in unison.

"Then you'll just have to wait. If I drop what I'm carrying there'll be even more trouble." The older one answered.

The two boys made there way to the entrance hall and waited impatiently for the other to arrive. The two boys were the same age though they didn't look identical. One had black eyes and messy hair. He was slightly taller than the other boy, who was slight in build. The second boy had auburn hair and green eyes and, unlike the boy standing next time him, waited with a patient air, though that seemed to be eroding rapidly.

The third boy turned the corner and walked up to the two waiting for him in the hall. On his left hip he carried a little girl of about four years of age. Both of them had pin straight hair the color of raven feathers and bright green eyes. They boy was tall and looked to be in his early teens. With a sigh at his brother's impatience he slowly turned towards the Great Hall as the younger two boys ran ahead. He wasn't prepared when he opened the doors after his brothers disappeared into the Hall for the roar of sound that hit him.

"Surprise!" Shouted the dozens of people waiting in the hall and Russ was shocked and would have dropped his sister if someone hadn't already plucked her from his grasp.

He watched wide-eyed as everyone tried to get his attention. Now he knew why his brothers were in more of a hurry than usual. Everyone he knew was here. His Grandmum Molly and Grandpa Arthur were here along with his uncles Bill, Charlie and Ron. His aunts Ginny, Hermione and Fluer were mingling with some of the guests. He though he saw his uncles Fred and George sneaking out the Great Hall's side door. All his friends from Hogsmeade were starting to gather around him, talking about the latest Quidditch match and he saw those he's made friends with from the Hogwarts' student body following at a more leisurely pace.

A glance around the hall as he chatted with his friend told him that all the professors from the school were there including his Grandma Minnie, who was rising from her usual seat in the middle of the head table. He didn't see his parents anywhere, but that's not too unusual, they tended to keep a low profile and disappear into the shadows at the drop of a hat. He noticed his circle of friends parting as his Grandma made her way towards him with an envelope clutched firmly in her hand. She handed it to him with a flourish and smile smugly as he opened it. A bright smile of his own bloomed across his face as he scanned the contents. He just received his Hogwarts letter and once again he scanned the sea of people for his parents.

"Now do remember that come September you mustn't forget to call me Professor." His Grandmother reminded him.

"I won't forget. Father's threatened to skin me alive if I slipped. I like brewing potions, but I don't want to be that intimately acquainted with them." Russ replied with a mischievous smile that lit his eyes.

"Do you have any guesses as to which house you may be in?" She asked with a smile.

"I have a good guess, but I think I'll make father sweat it out. I may talk the hat into waiting a good half hour before it sorts me."

"Now if you can get it to say Hufflepuff you'll make my decade, especially if I can get a photographer into place before hand." Both laughed at the mental picture before slowly making their way through the crowd so Russ could greet his other guests. "We'll discuss your schedule tomorrow morning."

Russ didn't get a chance to answer as he heard someone shout across the hall.

"Sirius and Remus get away from those presents. They are not yours and you better not have pranked any of them." Russ heard his Dad yell across the hall.

"But Dad, he gets such neat stuff." Sirius whined his black eyes didn't hide his guilt at all from their Dad.

"Honest Dad, we didn't touch anything." Remus replied while hiding dung bombs in what he thought was a stealthy manner.

"You're not are you?" Grandmum Molly's voice rang out as she held up a few of the prank items they had hidden. "I swear you two are worse that Fred and George. OUT! Now, young men, march."

Russ laughed as his two brothers were dragged out of the room by their ears. He didn't have once ounce of sympathy for the two. They were as bad as their favourite uncles. As he watched them being escorted out by their Grandmum he spotted where is Dad was hiding. As we wove his way through the throng he noticed his father approaching from a different direction with his sister Lily perched on a hip. When he made his way closer he noticed they were talking to the portrait of Pop-pop, which Grandma Minnie must have brought down from her office for the occasion. There was only one person missing from the day and Russ didn't expect him to make it today.

"Did Granddad owl?"

"No, we didn't get one today. Give him time, he'll owl." His green-eyed dad responded with a smile.

"It's still early in the day, my boy." The potriat of his Pop-pop responded while popping a yellow candy into his mouth.

"I know. I just worry that's all. You know how hard it is for him." Russ responded with a sigh. He really was hoping he could come to visit today despite the time of the month.

He shook off his disappointment and looked up in time to see his father's eyes narrow as he looked over Russ' shoulder. Russ noticed his father's expression turn to one of smug satisfaction and he wanted to see what caused that look to cross the normally solemn face. He didn't get a chance to turn around since someone whispered in his ear.

"Happy Birthday, kiddo." A very familiar and welcome voice said cheerfully.

"Granddad you made it!" Russ said and enveloped the older man in hug. He missed the broad smile his father flashed at the other man.

"I see the improvements worked, Lupin."

"Better than you said they would, Severus. Not once ounce of pain during the transformations and none of the energy drain." Remus smiled just as broadly before releasing his 'grandson' and claiming Lily for a hug. "Where are the two terrors?"

"Being scolded by Molly for trying to lace everything in sight with pranks." Severus replied with a smirk. "I'm surprised you didn't hear her when you arrived."

"No, I didn't. How is everything? With the improvements to the Wolfsbane and the Fertility potion you must be too busy to sleep."

"Everything's fine. Harry's going to be taking over the first and second year potions classes for most of the school year so I can fill the orders."

Remus smiled and sniffed the air around him and focused is attention on Harry with a smirk.

"Are you two trying to compete with Molly and Arthur?"

Harry laughed and allowed Severus to answer while Russ watched on in amusement.

"Lily needs some company. After all the twins start Hogwarts in two years and she'll be all alone in the house."

"Besides, the staff would get bored with only Lily to dote on." Harry added with a laugh. Remus turned his attention back to Russ.

"Any guesses as to which house you're going to be in?" Remus asked the green-eyed future headmaster of Hogwarts.

"Don't know, but if you receive a black owl you'll know I was sorted into Hufflepuff." Russ replied with a smirk.

"Severus Salazar Snape, what a horrible thing to say, but true. Your father's changed, but not that much." Remus replied with a grin.

Russ laughed and listened to his parents and grandfather talk before wandering off.

Off in one corner of the room, well out of the way of the rest of the guests, four shimmering forms watched the crowd with delight. All four had bright smiles that would have demanded a smile from the rest of the room if they were visible to them. With a magically whispered happy birthday to the young man once again surrounded by his friends they returned to their refuge in the bowels of the castle.

**

THE END

**

**A/N:** We, the authors at Hproundrobin, would like to thank everyone who's reviewed A Wedding Story. Thanks for suffering through the museless dry spell and rest assured the other stories we're working on are continuing, we're just a little stuck because of real life and other issues. Thanks once again.


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